Washington and Lee University Alumni Magazine Winter Spring 2019

ON THE RUN Alumni and students help others move forward

WASHINGTON SPRING TERM AT 30 A W&L LOVE AFFAIR Winter/Spring 2019 MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 1

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IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES

10 On The Run Alumni and students help others move forward.

14 A Historic Love Affair with W&L Sally Ball Sharp ’96 has a unique perspective on a landmark building.

16 Founding Father Washington Spring Term Program at 30.

22 Ambitious Plans The annual financial report.

DEPARTMENTS

3 Columns 26 O ffice Hours

Brian Alexander, assistant professor of politics

28 L ives of Consequence

Zabriawn Smith ’14 Krista Camp ’13 32 Alumni 48 Chronicles

Diego Millan, assistant professor of English, teaches class in the ODK Circle.

Photo by Kevin Remington Cover: Members of the Running Club and the Outing Club enjoy an early morning workout.

Photo by Shelby Mack

SPEAK LEGACY OF SERVICE I am always proud to see so many mentions of military service (and family connections) in the Obits section of the magazine. Classes from the 1930s up through the 1960s and beyond list wartime service. My father, Cowl Rider ’37, was in the Navy in World War II, and I served in Vietnam. Whatever the shortcomings of Gens. Washington and Lee, they inspired a legacy of unselfish and sacrificial service.

BRUCE W. RIDER ’66

Volume 96, Number 1 Winter/Spring 2019 Louise Uffelman Editor Kelly Martone Class Notes Editor

WHAT’S IN A NAME

CELEBRATING TRADITION

How is the cause of liberty and justice for all advanced by renaming buildings, removing paintings and walling off works of art available to the community? These are acts of Presentism, the unethical practice of imposing today’s cultural norms on the people of prior historical periods.

THOMAS P. RIDEOUT ’63

On the inside cover of your current magazine [Fall 2018] there is a wonderful photo of the celebration of the traditional Shabbat dinner at Hillel, acknowledging the close to 6,000 years of Jewish tradition.

The award-winning Broadway musical and film “Fiddler on the Roof” celebrated tradition with its title song of the same name.

Tradition is what gave the Jewish people the strength and courage to survive centuries of vitriolic antisemitism and the Holocaust. This enabled the founding of the Jewish State of Israel. The dichotomy of this, juxtaposed with your article on renaming Robinson Hall and the Lee Jackson House smacks at one of the most important memories I took away from W&L after graduation. “Tradition.”

RICHARD W. BANK ’55

I question the wisdom of rewriting our history. It may make some people more comfortable for a time, but ultimately it only deprives them of the opportunity to understand Lee, Jackson and others connected with Washington and Lee University and the town of Lexington. People are complicated, and to deprive students of the opportunity to understand these historical figures firsthand is a shame. George Washington had a very tangential relation to the institution that bears his name

(he made a large donation of canal stock to it), but Robert E. Lee was president of the university for the last five years of his life. To this day, his sterling character differentiates W&L from most other institutions of higher learning and gives its students something unique.

Certainly, Professor Simpson deserves all the credit the university can give her, but we shouldn’t ignore history because it makes some people uncomfortable.

That would be a tragedy!

WOODARD D. OPENO ’65

I was sadly interested to scan a recent newspaper article describing the current president’s effort to “shift the historical emphasis” of our university.

I suspect the desecration of Robert Edward’s Tomb, and presumably that of his descendants, will have something of the desired effect, as will renaming Robinson Hall, funded almost 200 years ago, but rather shamefully by today’s leftist ideology.

W&L has survived for well over 250 years, 10 times longer than any current academics’ hysteria to comply with the latest ultra-liberal political philosophy. We can only hope that the university’s heritage and history will eventually reassert itself with minimal damage.

HALCOTT G. HEYWARD ’50

CORRECTIONS The blurb for Roger Jean’s newest book, “The Letters and Diaries of Colonel John Hart Caughey, 1944–1945, with Wedemeyer in World War II China,” had an extra word in the description — “provide.”

The obit for Robert Henderson Rimmer IV ’90 misspelled his last name. He died on March 9, 2018. Rimmer was the director of finance for First Data and belonged to Kappa Alpha. Our sincere apologies for the error.

The obit for Stephen P. Smith III ’65 (Fall 2018) incorrectly stated that he served in the Korean War. He was stationed there while serving in the Adjutant General’s Corps.

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Lindsey Nair Director of Content Development Shelby Mack Kevin Remington University Photographers Barbara Elliott | Linda Evans, Patricia Lopes Harris ’91, Rossella Gabriele ’19 | Tom Lovell ’91 | Alicia Hay Matthai ’91 | Steve McAllister | Amanda Minix | Elizabeth Parsons | Joan Tupponce, Sally Ball Sharp ’96 Contributors Rebecca Logan Design Mary Woodson Director of Publications Published by Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450. All communications and POD forms 3579 should be sent to Washington and Lee University, Alumni Magazine, 7 Courthouse Square, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington VA 24450-2116. Periodicals postage paid at Roanoke, VA.

UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Dennis W. Cross Vice President for University Advancement Jessica L. Willett ’95 Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs

Stay in Touch Letters selected for publication should refer to material in the magazine. They may be edited for length, content and style. Letters reflect the views of their authors, not those of the magazine’s editors or of the university.

Waller T. Dudley ’74, ’79L Executive Director of Alumni Affairs © 2019 Washington and Lee University

Columns NOTEWORTHY NEWS AND IDEAS

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KEEP ’EM COMING

W&L was named to the 2018-19 list of the topproducing institutions for the Fulbright Program by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

3. WELCOME

Front row, l. to r.: Alex Farley ’19, Allie Rutledge ’19 and Clare Perry ’21; Back row, l. to r.: Professor Melina Bell, Kushali Kumar ’22, Cat Spencer ’20 and Charles Thomas ’21.

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ETHICALLY SPEAKING W&L students won the 20th annual Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Ethics Bowl championship in February. The six-member student team successfully devised and presented solutions to ethical dilemmas. The case study in

the final round involved whether a women’s shelter worker should, ethically speaking, allow a transgender woman to stay in the shelter for the night. “Judges commented that W&L’s ethical arguments were crisp and persuasive and their delivery polished and remarkably well-coordinated,” said Melina Bell, professor of philosophy and law, who coached the team.

Wali Bacdayan ’92, who graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in economics and mathematics, was sworn in as a Trustee on Feb. 8. He serves as an investor and a board director of several private companies and nonprofit organizations. In 2017, he received the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

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OUTSTANDING Helen I’Anson, John T. Perry Professor of Biology and Research Science, received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education, the Commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities. I’Anson focuses her research on the neurobiology of puberty.

$10,000

What’s it take to feed a hungry crowd? Sixteen restaurants and 25 soups.

More than 600 tasters attended the seventh annual Souper Bowl, which raised $10,000 for Campus Kitchen at W&L.

6. A LEGEND LIVES ON The late Harry Pemberton, professor of philosophy emeritus, who died in 2017, has left W&L a $2.7 million estate gift that will support international study. The Board of Trustees has approved the addition of his name to the Benefactor Wall in Washington Hall, the first faculty member to receive such recognition.

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7. ABS OF STEEL What started out as a friendly plank challenge in a phys ed class became the talk of the Fitness Center. Luke Alli ’22 just wanted to outlast a classmate, but when his competition dropped out after 15 minutes, “I realized that I didn’t feel tired, so I just decided to keep going,” he said. “Coach Brendan O’Brien gave me updates on time. I started asking him what the fourth-place record was, then the third place, and so on. When I got to 38 minutes and beat the record, I decided I was going to go on until I had to get to my next class.” He ended up planking for 1:07.

Bystanders offered cheers of support, and Alli listened to the “Essential Hits” Rolling Stones album “so I wouldn’t get bored.”

8. RUGGERS The rugby team, possibly the longest-existing club sport at W&L (established in 1966), qualified for the National Tournament for small colleges. The 30-plus team is made up of all types of students of varying backgrounds and athletic ability, from both the undergraduate and law schools.

In the last five years W&L Rugby has won the conference five times, played in the regional championship game five times and advanced to the national Final Four twice. The team is ranked 6th nationally.

OUT OF THE VAULT

Location, Location, Location The original 279-year-old Benjamin Borden grant for the land on which W&L now sits has been conserved and is stored in W&L’s Special Collections.

BY TOM CAMDEN ’76, HEAD OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES

FOR 90 YEARS, the original grant for the land that W&L now sits on has resided in the Special Collections vault. The grant, a vellum document issued by George II on Nov. 6, 1739, deeded more than 92,000 acres of land by the British Crown to Benjamin Borden.

Issued by William Gooch of the colony of Virginia, it was formalized seven years before the birth of George Washington and 10 years before the founding of what is now W&L. The grant of land included all of Lexington and a sizable section of Rockbridge County.

On Nov. 6, 1928, John Bowyer of Abilene, Texas, a descendent

of one of the early Lexington settlers who built Thorn Hill and a direct descendent of Benjamin Borden, deeded the original skin document to Washington and Lee. In a legal document transferring ownership of the original grant to W&L, Bowyer wrote: The original grant from George the Second, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, dated sixth day of November 1739 covers all the land on which the City of Lexington Virginia and all of its public buildings and institutions of learning are located. This original instrument has

followed the vicissitudes, the ups and downs, the rise and fall of the fate and fortunes of my family for nearly two hundred years. Its future preservation will be more secure in the keeping of some permanent institution than in private hands, and believing it should abide henceforth amid the innumerable titles it has mothered; I, John Bowyer of the City of Abilene in Taylor County, Texas do hereby give and grant and commit to the keep and custody of the Washington and Lee University of the City of Lexington in Rockbridge County, Virginia, said original grant which is hereto attached.

Edward Franklin Romig II, another Benjamin Borden descendent, and his wife, Dr. Celeste Romig, made a special trip to campus in fall 2014 to view the document. Romig was clearly moved to see such a precious family piece in person and suggested that he be allowed to pay for the restoration of the work.

Unfortunately, he passed away in mid-January 2015 and did not see the beautiful work done by the conservators at Etherington Conservation Services. His widow agreed to underwrite the cost of the restoration in memory of her late husband. An inscription on the inside of the linen box reads: “Thanks to the thoughtfulness of John Bowyer, descended from a long line of Washington and Lee supporters and alumni, and the generosity of Frank Romig, a Benjamin Borden descendent, the original grant, nearly 300 years old, is safe and secure in the Special Collections vault and will remain so for generations to come.”

Watch the video at go.wlu. edu/Bordengrant.

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NOW HEAR THIS

“I DO NOT BELIEVE IN CELEBRATING PROPHETS. I BELIEVE IN JOINING THEM.” The Rev. William J. Barber II, keynote speaker for W&L’s observance of MLK, Jan. 27

“My first piece of advice [for young journalists] is not advice at all. It’s a plea: God, we need you, right? This country so desperately needs your guts and your passion and your impatience and your desire to be part of a really proud and important tradition in this country of free thought, free inquiry, not bowing down to authority but questioning authority.”

David Barstow, New York Times senior writer, Oct. 31, 2018, interview with Hannah Denham ’20, Ring-tum Phi

“I knew that Robert E. Lee was smiling down from heaven, looking out for me.

Every day is a Gennie’s Win Day with a General’s Grilled Cheese.”

David Salchert ’19, Ring-tum Phi, Dec. 3, 2018, on the return of the General’s Grilled Cheese to the E. Café

“When you step out of this chapel tonight, you step onto this campus trying to figure out how to reconcile your past and how to keep moving in the future in the way your motto requires. I hope you will remember some of what I said to you.

I hope you will remember to be the leaders that your decedents will look to. I hope you leave deciding exactly what kind of ancestor you will be.”

Christy Coleman, CEO of the American Civil War Museum, in Richmond, Founders Day keynote address, Jan. 22

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Diverge is a platform to amplify intersectional perspectives on Washington and Lee’s campus that don’t always have the chance to be heard. We strive to begin and maintain a conversation between all members of our community about the multifaceted identities on our campus. We believe that in order to make a positive change in our community, all members need to be engaged in this dialogue.

Diverge mission statement, divergewlu.com

IN THE LEAD

Passionately Creating Change The president of ODK asks us to channel our collective energies toward a mission of lifelong service to others.

Rossella Gabriele ’19

I WAS RAISED TO KNOW leadership as service, that leadership from ego is frail, that willpower fades when focused on service to self. But harnessing the joys of those we serve makes leadership a worthy endeavor.

I challenge the collection of our campus’ fiercest leaders to leap outside their usual circles, interest areas and commitments. What can we do to make our fellow classmates feel more comfortable at W&L? How are we challenging ourselves to engage with the school’s history and, more importantly, ensure that its present actually makes each

of its members feel like they are beloved members of this community? And how can we lift up the voices of others around us?

The good news: Our community has evolved leaps and bounds since my freshman year. As an RA and president of ODK, I’ve seen firsthand how W&L’s most passionate students create change for others, both in Rockbridge County and in our school community, through the incredible student leadership on FLIP, Campus Kitchen, Rotaract, General’s Unity, Questbridge, Campus Unity

Initiative and so many other groups too numerous to name. For example, as co-president of our Amnesty International chapter, I’ve seen how a dedicated group of students raised thousands of dollars for refugee and immigrant causes.

Dedicating more of our collective energies toward the mission of serving and understanding those adjacent to our usual communities will invigorate our sleepy campus and ignite lifelong compassion and activism, engaging a holistic view of the W&L creed.

SALUTE

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME: BILL CONNELLY

Patricia Lopes Harris ’91

Bill Connelly

The first time I spoke one-on-one with Bill Connelly, it was because I wasn’t doing well in his course, and it was an entry-level course, so I needed to do something.

I decided to try office hours. I was too scared to speak. I didn’t know where to start. So, I began by telling him my story. I think maybe Bill realized that what I really needed was help navigating not just his course but life in general, and he became my mentor.

A few years later, I tried putting my story down on paper in the form of a résumé. Bill was accepting applications for the

Washington Term program, and I really wanted to go, so I listed every job I ever had. There were many, starting at age 14.

Plus, W&L had been amazing to me during my first three years, opening doors to all sorts of campus opportunities.

When Bill saw my multi-page résumé, he knew what it really said was that I wanted to do something with my life.

Although I was not the smartest or best-prepared student by far, he took me to Washington, D.C. Being from Hawai’i, I interned for World War II veteran Sen. Daniel Inouye. He was the most dignified man I had ever met, but what I remember just as well was spending time with the other students in the program.

It was extremely diverse — lots of people I would never have gotten to know if it weren’t for Bill’s approach, which was to take those with potential.

Many were bright and wealthy. Just as many were bright and not so wealthy. I don’t know if Bill realized what a gift he gave us by showing us how much we had in common.

Come to think of it now, maybe that’s what Bill saw in those of us who came to him with less than the optimal level of preparation and funds. He knew we would find a way, just as he seemed to teach that the right legislation would find a way to get passed. He believed in us, and he believed in Congress.

I have kept in touch with Bill since that time,

including a memorable July 4th in Lexington with our families. As I struggle to make sense of the world we find ourselves in today, he is still incredibly generous with his time.

I will forever be grateful.

Patricia Lopes Harris ’91 is communications director for the division of student affairs at Stanford University.

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ASK PRESIDENT DUDLEY

Q. What has been the impact of the Johnson Program?

The Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and it is impossible to overstate its impact on Washington and Lee. The most prominent component of the program is the Johnson Scholarship, which brings students of extraordinary talent and character to W&L each year. But the program’s underlying strength is the way that it provides opportunities for the entire university community.

Johnson Opportunity Grants, for which all students may apply, make possible an amazing variety of life-changing experiences. Students have used this funding to shadow surgeons in Thailand, to intern at the White House Office of Political Affairs, and to volunteer with a lion conservation project in Zimbabwe — just three of hundreds of such remarkable projects.

Our two Johnson Professors, Jeff Shay and Nicolaas Rupke, have developed

programs in entrepreneurship and the history of science that cultivate students’ intellectual curiosity and tackle topics that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The Johnson Lecture and Symposia Series brings visiting scholars to Lexington whose expertise and perspectives stimulate wide-ranging conversations on campus.

The Johnson Presidential Opportunity Fund has made the full range of Spring Term options available to all of our students and has also provided seed money to create the Advanced Research Cohort summer program for entering students.

In its first decade, the Johnson Program has strengthened the W&L community, expanded our educational offerings and enhanced our reputation as an institution that prepares students for responsible leadership. Thanks to the endowment that created the Johnson Program, these benefits and more will be available to all future students at Washington and Lee.

WHAT’S YOUR W&L IQ?

PERSONS OF INTEREST How well do you know the movers and shakers of W&L? A dive into the archives reveals some interesting individuals who helped build this institution.

1. Several cats took up residence in Lee House during this president’s tenure, including Stuart, who used to visit first-floor classes along the Colonnade. This president oversaw the growth and diversification of the faculty, especially the addition of female students, staff, faculty and trustees.

2. She was E.C. president from 1998-1999. After law school she worked as an attorney, graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education,

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was a chef at Lupa Osteria Romana and now works for the Doula Program to Accompany and Comfort for terminally ill patients.

3. The author of “Address to the People of West Virginia: Showing the [sic] Slavery is Injurious to the Public Welfare,” instituted the first faculty meetings and suggested merging with VMI. A Presbyterian minister, he saw character development as the central purpose of education.

4. He enforced the automatic rule (academic probation), which reduced the student body from 68 to 28 students. You can also thank him for the mandatory phys ed requirement and swim test.

5. W&L’s first female valedictorian joined the Air Force after graduation.

She’s now an associate clinical professor at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and chief of necropsy services and the anatomic pathology section.

6. In 1977, he was the first African American on the university faculty.

ANSWERS 1. John Elrod, president, 1995–2001 2. Elizabeth M. Formidoni ’96, ’99L 3. Henry Ruffner (Class of 1813), president, 1836-1848 4. Henry Louis Smith, president, 1912–1929 5. Teresa L. Southard ’90 6. Reginald Yancey, instructor of accounting

DUBYUHNELL DAY

COREY GANT The director of Greek life discusses his own fraternity experience and the evolution of Greek life at W&L.

BY ELIZABETH PARSONS • PHOTO BY KEVIN REMINGTON

DAILY ROUTINE

Two days rarely look the same, which is something I love about working in fraternity and sorority life. Some days I might be in back-to-back meetings with fraternity and sorority presidents, while some days I may be driving independent students to a step show at James Madison University. Because of the size and scope of Greek life at W&L, I get invited to join a lot of working groups or meetings.

STEREOTYPES?

Most people would expect me to blindly go to bat for the Greek system, but my views are more complex than that. When done right, Greek life teaches students how to be strong leaders who understand how their decisions

impact themselves, their organizations and their communities.

However, like any student — or human, for that matter — Greek students don’t always make the best decisions. I don’t think it is fair to assign blame to the Greek system for all campus or community issues, though.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

My office is working closely with the Office of Inclusion and Engagement to develop a training program focused on diversity and inclusion for our Greek organizations. The program is intended for sophomores and will build upon the training first-year students receive during orientation. We’ve piloted this program with a few fraternities and have witnessed productive conversations. These efforts are not only important to educate our community

members about privilege and oppression, but also because they serve as an opportunity for members to be vulnerable with one another. Research shows this can increase students’ sense of belonging within Greek organizations.

POSITIVE ROLE MODELS

I was very lucky to have a welcoming experience as a gay man in my fraternity. However, that is not everybody’s experience. Greek organizations have the power to model what an inclusive community could look like. My hope is that diversity training will help Greek students understand how inclusivity greatly impacts both the greater organization and the individual student experience on campus.

W&L’S GREEK CULTURE

Within the fraternity and sorority community, students are always ready to challenge the status quo.

They ask hard questions, and I feel that I grow as a professional because of them. I think it’s just as important to build relationships with independent students in order to hear honest, objective feedback about what could be improved about the Greek community and how it plays a role in shaping the university as a whole.

Continue the conversation with Corey at go.wlu.edu/Q&A_Gant.

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ON THE RUN

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Brian Ricketts ’00 is the track and cross country coach at Alamo Heights High School, where he also teaches world geography.

But there are those in the W&L community whose running has an extra dimension — service to others.

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For them, it’s more than just zipping around the track. It’s about running alongside those who have battled addiction, sickness and mentalhealth issues. It’s about helping people move forward one step at a time, at whatever pace that might be.

PHOTO BY JOE SULAK

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Lot’s of people run for fun and health. The endorphin kick is like no other.

FORGING FRIENDSHIPS ON THE TRAIL Brian Ricketts ’00 runs with veterans and Gold Star spouses.

BY BARBARA ELLIOTT

BRIAN RICKETTS ’00’S PATH from non-runner to dedicated trail runner began when he found that playing basketball was getting harder to fit into his work schedule. “A friend decided to do a marathon, so I decided to try it. I hired a coach and got hooked up with the right people — or the wrong people, depending on how you look at it,” he joked.

From there, he moved on to ultra-trail running, a more extreme sport he has pursued in many breathtaking locations around the country. San Antonio, itself a beautiful place to run, has a large military presence, and a group of fellow trail runners wanted to find a way for their sport to

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benefit returning service men and women.

Working with Team Red White and Blue they started the Team RWB National Trail Running Camp, which is available to veterans and Gold Star spouses.

After a few years, the group established Band of Runners, an all-volunteer organization devoted solely to operating trail running camps around the country.

“Our ultimate goal is that no one will pay anything. We keep it small and want it to be affordable,” Ricketts explained.

Activities include trail runs with instruction from elite trail runners, covering training, technical trail running, hill running, running form, strength training, nutrition, first aid, blister care and night running. Campfires, storytelling and fellowship are also included.

Campers are assigned to groups based on experience and paired with mentors who are all experienced trail runners.

It can be intimidating to novices, but mentors are knowledgeable runners

“We meet people where they are,” said Molly Mann ’20 (blue T-shirt). ”The saying around BoMF is, ’We’re into fitness, but we’re not a gym.’ ”

UP AND RUNNING Molly Mann ’20 combined fitness and service learning during her Shepherd summer internship.

BY LOUISE UFFELMAN

A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK THIS PAST summer, Molly Mann ’20 set her alarm clock for 4:45 a.m. to meet her running group. They were mostly 30- to 60-yearold homeless men in the Washington, D.C., area. “These are the ones,” she said, “who don’t get as much attention from all the nonprofits set up to deal with underserved populations.”

As a Shepherd intern, Mann worked for the D.C. office of Back on My Feet (BoMF), a program that addresses homelessness

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through a running-based model of empowerment. Mann plays varsity basketball for W&L and is also a runner.

“I was excited about the opportunity to be active and useful at the same time,” she said.

When Mann laced up her running shoes for those early morning meet-ups, she didn’t necessarily expect to get an aerobic workout. The monthly orientation sessions involved a lot of paperwork but no exercise. The days Mann did run with a

who are also welcoming.

“It’s about the conversations on and off the trail,” Ricketts said. “We’ve had some campers with some issues from deployment. They said that weekend was the happiest they had been in years. You make lifelong friends, but you don’t know immediately if you make an impact. We are not counselors. We just work on how to keep the momentum going when the campers go home.”

member, it was at that person’s pace and preferred distance. “Some people ran a one-, two- or three-mile route or walked it.

The rule is that no one runs alone,” she explained.

During her internship, Mann focused on the topic of addiction and what it meant for this group. She discovered that members’ descent into addiction and their approach to reclaiming their lives were all different.

“Some became alcoholics from drinking one glass of wine or had become addicted to opioids after having surgery. Nobody’s story was the same. Everyone had come from a different place and wanted to go to different places. BoMF was a stop on their journey. It was eye-opening to realize that the pathway that brought them to this point in their lives was not formulaic — it didn’t happen because they lacked the resources during their childhood or were exposed to drugs throughout their lives. It was interesting for me to think about it from a public policy perspective and see that one single bill can’t address this one problem of addiction. The underlying issues are too complex.”

It takes a lot of dedication to consistently show up for a run when it’s hot or cold or dark or raining, but that’s the discipline BoMF members learn to embrace. Mann herself was tested at one of the organization’s monthly 5Ks. “It had been pouring all day and was freezing cold,” she said. “I spent most of the day hoping the event would be canceled. But it wasn’t, so I showed up in kind of a bad mood and thinking I wouldn’t run.”

She ended up running alongside BoMF member Travis. “He grinned from ear to ear the entire race, even though the rain was pelting us in the eyes,” Mann said. “It was his first 5K, and he said he didn’t know he could be this happy from finishing a race, accomplishing his goals and receiving recognition for his hard work. It was so worth it to have made a direct impact on even one individual.”

SOLE OF THE CITY Josh Levinson ’93 has built a running community in Baltimore “Charm” city.

BY LINDA EVANS

FOR JOSH LEVINSON ’93, running is all about “inspiration,” which is the first word in Charm City Run’s mission: to inspire and move the human spirit one sole at a time.

“It is a lofty goal, but we have a humble and perhaps ignorant belief that we can do this every day,” he said.

When he moved to Austin with his wife, Kara, to earn his M.B.A. at the University of Texas at Austin, the couple often ran

around Town Lake, where they noticed something interesting. A local running store, Run-Tex, set out coolers of water and Powerade along the route.

Curious, they checked out the store.

“There was a great mood there. It was special, people were excited,” Levinson said. After a disastrous Fort Worth marathon — “We were malnourished, dehydrated and overheated” — Kara gave Josh a gift of a Run-Tex training program.

Levinson started working at Run-Tex for free on Saturdays. The owner hired him, and Levinson learned the business from working the floor to dealing with vendors.

He opened the first Charm City Run store in 2002 in Timonium, Maryland. The company now has seven locations in and around Baltimore, and his events company owns 15 races and manages another 120 each year.

“Our first goal was to have a successful store,” said Levinson. “We believed in Baltimore, and we believed that if you care, people come back.” He has tried to create the kind of magic he saw at Run-Tex. “It was so positive. People from all walks of life became friends, and it was just all goodness.”

Levinson realizes that owning specialty

IN THE LONG RUN

BY JOAN TUPPONCE

Philip Aiken ’17 would like to break the four-hour mark in his next marathon. “I’m slow,” he said. “Other than that, I just want to stay healthy enough to be doing this in 20 years.”

Josh Levinson ’93 believes that “when people move, they are better versions of themselves: better workers, friends, partners, brothers, sisters and parents.”

PHOTO BY JARED SOARES

retail stores isn’t only about catering to serious runners. “People are looking for community. They also want help getting started or breaking a cycle of obesity,” he said. “They often start by walking. We want to make them proud of themselves.”

Which brings him full-circle to the business’ mission: to inspire first, to get people moving and to sell a product that will help them succeed.

Philip Aiken ’17 goes the distance to raise money for cancer research.

WHEN HE WAS 12, PHILIP AIKEN ’17 was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and received chemotherapy and radiation treatment for a year at St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee. “I was very fortunate to have the best children’s cancer hospital in our city, so we did not have to move or commute to receive treatment,” he said.

His family and friends were incredibly supportive, “as were the doctors, nurses and staff at St. Jude,” he added. “Not only did the hospital save my life, but the doctors and nurses at St. Jude did everything they could to relieve any pain, fear or discomfort. Their positive attitudes, encouragement and tireless work ethic were remarkable.”

Aiken wanted the opportunity to give back, and the year after he finished treatment his father started a fundraising team for the St. Jude Marathon, which raised more money than any other team.

A couple of years after that first fundraiser, his father suggested Aiken start

his own team, which he did during his junior year at Memphis University School.

“We continued the team the following year, and over the two years we raised roughly $60,000. For me, it was very cool to bring together two impressive Memphis institutions, and the result was a huge success.”

Aiken ran the St. Jude Marathon again last year with his siblings, bringing in a few thousand dollars for the cause. He also joined the St. Jude fundraising team for the 2018 Chicago Marathon and will run the Berlin Marathon in 2019 for the St. Jude Heroes fundraising team. He’s committed to raising $6,000.

Running provides some of the best “head space and alone time” for Aiken. “I’ve also found that the discipline of running translates to other areas of my life and signing up for longer races gives me something to work toward. Most importantly, almost all races are fundraising opportunities, and running is a great way to get excited about giving back.”

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 13

A Deeply Historic Love Affair

P “Professor Simpson’s quiet dignity, strength and demand of excellence developed in me core strengths, which prove the cornerstone to my career: fearlessness and total commitment.”

BY SALLY BALL SHARP ’96

For me, and I imagine many other graduates, the Board’s decision to rename campus buildings stirred many emotions: nostalgia for the past, gratitude of forward vision and maybe a twinge of sadness. Speaking with my father, Haywood Ball ’61, about the changes, I realized I have a unique perspective to offer.

After graduation, my great-aunt gave me a treasured family possession, a set of Washington and Lee red Wedgewood plates featuring different scenes on campus: Lee Chapel, the Colonnade and Tucker Hall, to name a few. Yet, one plate I

Lee-Jackson Wedgewood plate.

14 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

received had many duplicates. That was because the Lee-Jackson House was our house, specifically my grandmother’s. Daughter of W&L Law School Dean W. H. Moreland, my grandmother, Margaret Ann Moreland Ball, grew up in the Lee-Jackson House. It was from this house, beloved to so many, that she walked to and from high school, passing my grandfather’s fraternity house (Jack Ball ’32, ’35L) and catching his eye.

By the time they married in 1936, her family resided in what is now the Hotchkiss Alumni

1

2

House. Following a ceremony at R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church (now Grace Episcopal Church), guests walked across campus to her parent’s home for their reception.

In 2000, my now-husband Michael and I asked W&L if we could recreate my grand parents’ wedding, using the Alumni House for our reception. With a little trepidation on the school’s side and a hard sell from my parents, the university granted our wish, which was the first private event hosted there.

So on a magical night in June 2001, we, too, crossed the Colonnade on our way to a most enchanting reception. It was as gorgeous a setting as it was meaningful to my family. The campus sparkled with darting fireflies. Live bluegrass music prompted spirited dancing and revelry on the porch.

Even Southern Living published the event in an issue of its “Weddings” magazine.

Mine is a deeply historic W&L love affair.

As I am the fourth generation of my family rooted at W&L, I was also notably our first female alum. At age 8, my father brought me to campus for the first time. I was so determined to attend that I declared my intention to become an attorney, as the Law School was then the only means for a female to attend W&L. Luckily for me, that barrier was knocked down. My graduating class

3 marked 10 years of Washington and Lee co-education. And it was a remarkable time with much transition, being 60 percent male during my stint. Just 10 years later, W&L would see equal male and female matriculation. Sometimes though, I can admit, I felt like a pioneer.

To the credit of two exceptional women leaders and professors* on campus, my W&L experience was filled with a great purpose. I am honored that one of them, my own mentor and advisor Professor Pam Simpson, has been named to the house that means so much to me.

Professor Simpson’s quiet dignity, strength and demand of excellence developed in me core strengths, which prove the cornerstone to my career: fearlessness and total commitment. She was patient and fair, but she expected more from me than the sorority girl she saw my freshman year — and she got it.

Pulling me aside at the end of my senior thesis studio art show, she told me in earnest that she was proud of what I had done with my opportunity. Her words still ring as one of my most cherished accolades. My selfdiscovery in art, as in life at W&L, was not easily won, but earned and honorable. I had come to understand the significance of opportunity she forged for me, and for all women at W&L.

4 I am humbled by the history and legacy of this moment. Though letting go of the past bears pause, for me, this naming also weaves together an honor truly befitting our tradition. I’m proud to celebrate Pam Simpson’s contribution to W&L, and I believe all of the past residents of what is now the Simpson House would concur. * Professor Kathleen Olson-Janjic, the Pamela H. Simpson Professor of Art, is the other W&L woman who broke down walls, opened my potential and poured herself into my education. I am forever grateful for these two leaders and for the high academic standards that W&L brought to the Art Department. Thanks to the mentorship of Olson-Janjic, I attended Parsons School of Design, rounding out my painting education with graphic design and illustration.

Today, I am a licensed illustrator/commercial artist.

1. Law Dean W. H. Moreland, Sally’s great-grandfather.

2. Margaret Ann Moreland Ball, the grandmother of Sally Ball Sharp ’96, grew up in Lee-Jackson House.

3. Margaret Ann Moreland Ball on her wedding day.

4. Sally Ball Sharp ’96 and her husband, Michael.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 15

FOUNDING FATHER

Washington Spring Term Program at 30

BY LOUISE UFFELMAN • ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN COLE ’80

W&L’s course catalogue offers the following description of the Washington Spring Term program, taught these last 30 years by Bill Connelly, John K. Boardman Jr. Professor of Politics: The Washington Term Program aims to enlarge students’ understanding of national politics and governance. Combining academic study with practical experience in the setting of a government office, think tank or other organization in Washington, it affords deeper insight into the processes and problems of government at the national level...

16 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

...Pretty dry, huh? But every year, students practically elbow each other aside to get into the class. When you step back to let Bill do the talking, you’ll understand why.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 17

O ORIGINS

I came from Capitol Hill, where I’d worked as a legislative assistant for Sen. Richard Lugar and then-Congressman Dick Cheney, and was surprised that a university of this caliber didn’t have a D.C. Spring Term program given its proximity to Washington. As a Congress scholar I also wanted to get back to the Hill on a regular basis for research purposes.

I asked my dean, Larry Peppers, if he’d like me to create such a program, and without skipping a beat he said, “Great, how much money do you need?” Within 30 minutes, we had a decision to go ahead. Larry insisted from the beginning that this program

I was surprised and pleased when I was asked to draft a recommendation memo to Sen. Lugar about whether Indianapolis should pursue a Major League Baseball team.

It was an invigorating assignment that drew on analytical and writing skills that I had been developing at W&L. Ultimately, Sen. Lugar decided to go in a different direction, but it was clear that the recommendation memo had helped sharpen the question and the issues for his consideration.

–Jim Sloat ’89

18 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

Jeff Willis ’92 with Sen. John McCain in 1991.

be academically rigorous. The students had to earn their credits, not by hours in an office but through academic work.

SWEET 16 I like having just 16 students for the class. They can’t hide in the back of the classroom — they must learn from one another. I’ve always tried to create a microcosm of Capitol Hill, a balance of Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, independents, libertarians, what have you. I always explain to Washington Term students that they are meant to be objective political scientists. Yet they go native the first week of their internships. The advan-

Rob Berger ’93 with Rep. Henry Hyde in 1991.

tage, however, is just how energized these students are in the classroom.

Class deliberations are active and enlightening.

THE TOCQUEVILLIAN PERSPECTIVE Alexis de Tocqueville wrote the second-most important book on American politics, “Democracy in America” (Madison’s “The Federalist Papers” is first, of course). As an international observer, Tocqueville saw and understood things we Americans don’t, because he brought a fresh perspective to American politics and culture. Having international students in the classroom is like having Tocqueville among us. Americans love to

complain how bitterly polarized, dysfunctional and partisan politics has become. Year after year, like clockwork, one of the international students will respond: “You Americans don’t know how lucky you are. All this chaos, cacophony and contentiousness doesn’t exist in my country. Do you know why? Because you have more freedom that we do.”

HONOR SYSTEM All the students must maintain the confidentiality of all the other students. Whether they are working on the Hill, in the White House, for a think tank, lobby shop, media organization or wherever, the Honor System

The 2006 class with Vice President Dick Cheney.

Some of Professor Connelly’s favorite mantras have stuck with me: “The personal is the political,” and “Where you sit influences where you stand.” I am a more informed citizen for having taken this course.

–Noelle Camp ’17

The 2011 class takes in a Washington Nationals’ baseball game.

Brett Kirwin ’02 with Sen. Mike DeWine in 2002.

“I met some of the most influential people in politics at the time: Jack Kemp, Bill Bennett, Rush Limbaugh, Jeane Kirkpatrick, –Jennifer Stec ’96 Vin Weber and Bill Kristol.”

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 19

made for a much better learning environment because the students can be frank in sharing their experiences with one another while trusting one another not to make partisan use of trusted insights.

the Meridian at Pentagon City. We have a classroom on the 18th floor with a beautiful view of the D.C. skyline. I hold office hours in the evening in the same beautiful location.

FROM CHURCH BASEMENT TO PENTAGON CITY

Over the years, we have often taken in a baseball game at Camden Yards or the National’s stadium. Baseball is a slow, deliberate game, thus allowing us a good opportunity to sit and discuss politics. We also commonly take in a Shakespeare play. For example, last year we attended the Royal Shakespeare Theater “Hamlet” production at the Kennedy Center. You cannot understand American politics without understanding drama. That’s why

Thirty years ago, students lived in a variety of housing spread across D.C. But two decades ago we started renting four apartments in the same complex so students could live together and share their insights and experiences with one another after hours. I knew from the beginning that they would learn more from one another than they would learn from me. In recent years, we’ve rented from

“My Wash Term classmates were passionate but patient, respectful of other viewpoints and in pursuit of an objective truth that, while informed by their own moral values, was not so rigid or partisan that they were disrespectful or dismissive of counterarguments.

In contrast, my experience with professionals on the Hill was more like a sports rivalry. People had their teams, their factions, and it was about winning. For Democrats, every Republican was treated like an evil corporate shill in the pocket of big oil or a wild religious zealot. To Republicans, every Democrat was assumed to be a naive socialist and a pacifist who would surely lead us to destruction and damnation.”

–Aaron Toomey ’09

20 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

SHAKESPEARE AND BASEBALL

Kevin Ortiz ’16 with Rep. Bob Goodlatte ’77L in 2014.

The 2016 class with Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

“The academic approach that supplemented the internships allowed us to coolly analyze issues instead of becoming insufferable mini-activists.”

-

–Capt. Thadeous Larkin ’08

C-SPAN is my favorite channel. Sure, you can be angry and upset because they are haranguing one another on the House floor, but at least they aren’t killing each other as in Macbeth. The riveting RSC performance of “Coriolanus” one year literally brought tears to the eyes of my students as we sat perched on the balcony front row.

That’s politics.

ALUMNI SUPPORT Washington Term would never have succeeded without the unstinting support of alumni, hosting interns, sponsoring events, speaking to my classes and more. For years, we ran the program on a shoestring, but now the new endowment — The Washington

Term Endowment — means I can pay lecture honoraria, buy Shakespeare tickets and sponsor various events.

Many alumni over the past 30 years have worked their connections to secure guest speakers. Tom Greenwood ’77 got the class into the Obama White House Situation Room, as well as a meeting with active members of the Armed Forces at MCB Quantico. We’ve been fortunate to have outstanding speakers over the years: E.J. Dionne, David Brooks, Elaine Karmarck, George Will, The Hon. Richard Leon, Rep. John Lewis and others. Vice President Dick Cheney met with the class a number of times, including once in the Roosevelt Room next to the Oval Office.

There was a lot of exciting survey work to be done for the approaching November elections. I was able to assist on many polls for Congressional races across the country, especially in North Carolina.

I also worked on a project on the growth of the Hispanic electorate, tracking the opinions of Hispanic voters and the impact this might have on the 2012 election cycle.

In the White House. From l. to r.: Morgan Maloney ’19, Lorena Hernandez ’19, Rossella Gabriele ’19 and Julie Ruth Malone ’18.

ROLL CALL: INTERNSHIPS ON THE HILL (a small sample)

Rep. Bob Livingston • Sen. Fritz Hollings • Sen. Bill Bradley • American Enterprise Institute • AFL-CIO Civil Rights Office • Child Welfare League of America • American Conservative Union • Rep. Shelley Moore Capito • White House Office of Strategic Initiatives • National Taxpayer Union Foundation • National Assoc. of Realtors • Senate Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee • U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee • Sen. Kay Hagan • CBS News • The Congressional Research Service • Sen. Paul Trible • White House Office of Communications • Sen. Daniel Inouye • White House Office of Presidential Advance • Sen. Connie Mack

Skyler T. Zunk ’19 interned with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise during Washington Spring Term and then spent Summer 2017 in the White House Office of Political Affairs.

• Sen. Alan Simpson • U.S. Treasury Dept.

• Empower America • Sen. Don Nichols • Sen. Chuck Robb • Rep. Scott McInnis • Republican National Committee • Overseas Private Investment Corp. • Sen. John Warner ’49 • George C. Marshall Institute • Kemper Insurance • Rep. Dennis Hastert • U.S. Department of Education • Sagamore Assoc.

• People for the American Way • Rep. John Sullivan • Sen. Joe Lieberman • Rep. Johnny Isakson • John Kerry for President • Peace Corps • Rep. Nancy Pelosi • Sen. David Vitter • The Wilderness Society • Eisenhower Institute • Heritage Foundation • Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. • Rep. Adam Smith • Rep. Marsha Blackburn • Center for National Policy • The Weekly Standard • Congressional Quarterly

–Victoria Waddail ’14

Joëlle Simeu ’20 at the leadership conference on Civil and Human Rights.

• Zimmer Inc. • Sen. Mark Warner • Sen. John Cornyn • David Ali Group • National Community Action Foundation • The Hill • The McManus Group • House Budget Committee • Public Opinion Strategies • American Red Cross • Politico • Sen. Charles Schumer • Bipartisan Policy Center • Sen. Tim Kaine • Van Scoyoc Assoc. • U.S.-Japan Council • National Low Income Housing Coalition • Rep. Steve Stivers • Ogilvy Government Relations • Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand • Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service • The Washington Times • Department of Defense • Becket Fund for Religious Liberty • American Society of Anesthesiologists • The American Liberty Fund • Habitat for Humanity International • National Community Action Foundation • Department of Education

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 21

THANKS TO YOU

OVERVIEW

TOP 25

$10.85 MILLION

50%

Annual Fund donations reached a record high

Of undergraduate alumni donated

In endowment per student among all U.S. universities

$1.6

BILLION Our endowment’s high-water mark

2.8%

Year-on-year increase in total assets

4.5%

Year-on-year increase in net tuition revenues

FOR W&L STUDENTS

$63,386

Instructional and student-services cost per student

$26,970 Average tuition and fees paid by families after financial aid

39% Portion of W&L operating expenses covered by endowment distributions

#1 For lowest percentage of expenditures that go toward administration, including fundraising, among the nation’s top 25 liberal arts institutions.

22 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

$53.37 MILLION

STUDENT FINANCIAL AID AWARDED

2018 FINANCIAL REPORT

AMBITIOUS PLANS Our strong financial base is critical in helping faculty and staff deliver a highquality education and student experience.

BY STEVE MCALLISTER

T

he 2017-18 year was a year of planning, as the university community coalesced in developing a new strategic plan (go.wlu.edu/2018strategicplan).

Adopted by the Board of Trustees in May 2018, the strategic plan is centered around community, curriculum, citizenship and campus.

Several main objectives include offering financial aid to qualified students regardless of need; expanding access to curricular and co-curricular opportunities without regard for economic status; expanding the faculty to grow and enhance academic offerings; recruiting a director of Institutional History and building an Institutional History Museum, as well as expanding Huntley Hall and the Science Center; and creating a new Admissions and Financial Aid home. The plan is ambitious but attainable.

With this strategic plan, we can proceed within the comfort of a strong financial base that has the underpinnings in an endowment that ranks in the top 25 on a per student basis among all U.S. colleges and universities. Our philanthropic support has substantially altered

our revenue mix over the last decade. This fiscal year showed net tuition revenues accounting for 37 percent of all revenues and philanthropic sources at 50 percent. This revenue diversity benefits the university in ways beyond just the financial. The additions made to endowments have increased the number of students we can reach with financial aid, not to mention the additional curricular and co-curricular programming we can offer them. A solid endowment also provides additional opportunities for faculty, including research support, grants and sabbaticals.

ASSETS Our total assets grew by 2.8 percent, from $2.019 billion to $2.075 billion. Over the last decade, assets have increased by $593 million.

This strong financial base is critical in helping faculty and staff deliver a high-quality education and student experience.

The endowment, which represents over three-quarters of the assets, is comprised of two elements: gifts to the university held in the investment pool and trusts held by others.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 23

ENDOWMENT ASSETS

ENDOWMENT VALUE ($MILLIONS)

LIABILITIES

JUNE 30

$263.7 MILLION

$2.075 BILLION

71% Debt

77% Endowment

12% Annuity obligations

1,800

16% Plant, net of depreciation

8% Post-retirement benefits

3% Other investments

9% Other

2% Contributions receivable 2% Other 1,000

We experienced a 2.8 percent increase in total assets over the past year, from $2.0195 billion to $2.075 billion.

UNIVERSITY OPERATING REVENUES

0 2008

2012

Internally controlled endowment

2018

Trusts held by others

$169.8 MILLION 39% Endowment allocation and distributions from trusts 36% Net tuition 12% Gifts and grants 12% Auxiliary enterprises

The aggregate endowment grew to a new high-water mark of $1.603 billion.

1% other

ENDOWMENT ALLOCATION 70,000

2% 45%

UNIVERSITY OPERATING EXPENSES $166.6 MILLION

9% 12%

46% Instruction

40,000

46%

16% Auxiliary enterprises 20%

13%

13% Institutional support 12% Academic support 9% Student services

16%

2% Other

0

0% 2007-08

Endowment allocation

2017-18

% of revenues

Endowment distributions accounted for 38.6 percent of the operating revenues.

24 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

All figures as of June 30, 2018, for the 2017–2018 fiscal year.

Endowment distributions accounted for 38.6 percent of the operating revenues, at $65.6 million. This source has grown in importance as a portion of the revenue stream. As a result, diligent management of the underlying assets and considerations of payout allocation models are increasingly important. The university followed its normal spending formula of increasing endowment spending by inflation plus one percent. This yielded a payout rate of 4.69 percent. Law School endowments retained the supplemental increased payout adopted by the Board of Trustees for a third year, but payouts were reduced from 7.5 percent to 6 percent.

Current gifts and grants play a significant role in providing a robust and vibrant educational program. W&L received $20.1 million in expendable contributions and grants to underwrite operations. If we had to rely on endowment to generate the same level of contribution, we would need an additional $428 million.

Endowment and Giving highlights: • The Annual Fund reached a new high for funds raised, $10.85 million, with undergraduate alumni participation at 50 percent.

• Endowment per student (including funds held in trust by others) increased to $722,992. At June 30, 2008, this value was $470,918. We captured this increase in value of 55 percent over the past decade, even as the endowment has distributed between 4 percent and 5 percent of its value annually.

• We received new gifts and pledges of $46.3 million, with $18.8 million of the total toward endowments and $13.4 million to capital projects.

LIABILITIES The university has liabilities totaling $259.8 million. Three types of liabilities comprise 91 percent of this total: debt, future annuity payments and postretirement benefits.

Total debt is $186.3 million and is composed of six different instruments, all being tax-exempt issues through either the Virginia College Building Authority or the Lexington City Industrial Development Authority. Of the outstanding debt, 85 percent is fixed rate and 15 percent is variable rate debt. Maturities extend to 2043, with interest rates ranging for fixed rate debt from 2.25 percent to 5.75 percent. The 1998 and 2001 VCBA Notes, totaling $90.2 million, are non-callable. In August 2018, the University issued additional debt in two series. Series A included $22.5 million of debt to fund the renovations to Woods Creek Apartments and partially fund the Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center.

OPERATING RESULTS

In 2017-18, W&L incurred a cost on average of $63,386 per student for educational and

student services. The stated tuition and mandatory fees rate was $50,170, and the average tuition and fees paid by families after financial aid was just $26,970. Every student received a subsidy of at least $13,216. For one-half of the population, the subsidy was expanded through financial aid. This is the financial value proposition of a W&L education and has been and will continue to be an area of focus as the university works to expand accessibility to all qualified applicants without regard to socio-economic status.

Net tuition revenues increased by 4.5 percent to $62.1 million, as total enrollment grew by 4.8 percent. The Law School’s enrollment increased by nearly 20 percent, accompanied by improvements in its ranking.

Within revenues, a line item for financial aid is defined as a reduction of tuition ($46.20 million); this is also the case with auxiliary enterprise revenues which reflect an aid discount of $3.08 million. Within expenses, a

of Trustees and Alumni report entitled “How Much is Too Much? Controlling Administrative Costs through Effective Oversight.” For fiscal year 2017, W&L posted a ratio of 0.209, the lowest among the top 25 liberal arts institutions, where the mean of the group was 0.327.

Compared to the top 25 liberal arts colleges, W&L consistently spends a higher percentage of its budget for educational expenses than the peer average (59.5 percent versus 51.5 percent).

However, the aggregate expenses per student fall below the average expense per student of the peers by $8,500.

IN SUMMARY This past year was one in which we were able to enjoy the fruits from the success of the last strategic plan, while simultaneously working on a new strategic plan that is grounded within the culture of financial discipline and is built on the financial strength of the university.

Strong enrollments, favorable investment

Current gifts and grants play a significant role in providing a robust and vibrant educational program. W&L received $20.1 million in expendable contributions and grants to underwrite operations. line financial aid ($4.10 million) represents awards that exceed tuition, room and board.

Combined, student financial aid awarded was $53.37 million, reaching 50 percent of the undergraduate student population and 90 percent of law students.

Highlights in this area: • We offered 154 summer Lenfest Grants and six full-year Lenfest Sabbaticals.

• We offered students 101 Johnson Opportunity or Enhancement grants and well over 200 additional grants to students for summer experiential, research or internship endeavors.

• We awarded grants and scholarships to 50.4 percent of the undergraduates. In 2009, the corresponding figures were 45.8 percent.

OPERATING EXPENSES We use these resources to fulfill our core mission — education. Instruction and academic support (libraries, information technology services, etc.) comprise nearly 60 percent of total expenses.

Only 13 percent of expenditures go toward administration, including fundraising. This latter figure was affirmed by following the methodology outlined by the American Council

returns and continued philanthropic support of alumni, parents and friends yielded positive financial outcomes and allowed the university to invest in its core mission. In short, it was a year that continued to bolster our ability to navigate through the ebbs and flows of the industry.

As we execute the next strategic plan, we do so while being mindful of what has worked so well over the years: investing meaningfully in the future of our faculty and students.

Note: This article is adapted from the financial report prepared for 2017-18 by Steve McAllister, vice president and treasurer, which you may read at go.wlu.edu/financials-1718. Unless otherwise noted, beginning and ending dates mentioned throughout are June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2018.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 25

26 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

OFFICE HOURS

Brian Alexander The assistant professor of politics is researching Thomas Jefferson’s “Manual of Parliamentary Practice,” teaching courses on U.S. government and international relations and taking charge of the Washington Spring Term Program.

BY LOUISE UFFELMAN • PHOTO BY KEVIN REMINGTON

WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT WASHINGTON TERM? It’s a dream assignment, really. It’s an opportunity to cultivate ambitious, talented, young people into thoughtful, wellrounded, and capable public policy professionals and citizens. I approach Washington Term with the idea of what would I want future political leaders to know so they can do the most public good? Then, I try to teach the students that.

WHY POLITICS? I remember in my first year of college surfing between MTV and a comedy channel when I happened upon C-SPAN, and I was hooked. I’ve also known that I’ve wanted to be a college professor since high school. Politics

provided a good blend between high-minded, intellectual leadership and real-world problem solving. On the best days, despite all the cynicism, politics is thrilling because it brings together the brightest people who are trying to solve the biggest problems. Sure, sometimes it’s messy, but it can be wonderful.

MAIN RESEARCH PROJECT? My main research is on legislative norms in the U.S. Congress — that is, the informal, unwritten rules of the game that shape member behavior and help the institution function, or not. My book project, “A Social Theory of Congress: Legislative Norms in the Twenty-First Century,” examines politicians’ ideas about what it is to be a member of Congress and what is believed to be appropriate behavior. We take for granted that members are expected to behave with courtesy toward one another or that cooperation is thought of as an important part of the job.

Such behavior is not exclusively because of formal rules — it is because of norms. But when norms change, as may be currently happening, the way the institution functions — the way our democracy works — also changes.

PREVIOUS JOB? Over the last 20 years in D.C., I had the privilege of working for some great public policy non-profits and Democratic political campaigns. I was a management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton and other firms, and I worked for federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense and Homeland Security.

My last position was as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow (2015-2016) in the office of a man of true integrity, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).

OTHER INTERESTS? W&L’s Special Collections at Leyburn Library has a rare copy of Thomas Jefferson’s “Manual of Parliamentary Practice” (1801), with extensive hand-written annotations

by Jefferson during his first term as president. I have built a new argument about Jefferson’s scholarship and leadership on parliamentary law, which he took great care to promote in the U.S. and abroad. Jefferson’s “Manual” is the early standard-bearer of the rules of the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and for other governments around the world.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM MAIN JOY Spending time with my wife, Caroline, and our two daughters, Kitty, 10, and Phoebe, 8.

MARTIAL ARTS I have a black belt in Taekwondo, and I trained in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a couple of years.

FAVORITE POLITICIAN Václav Havel, a prominent Czech dissident, human rights activist, playwright and political prisoner, is among my intellectual and political heroes. He teaches us that you can be an artist, an idealist and a successful politician.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 27

LIVES OF CONSEQUENCE

Zabriawn Smith ’14 (left) with Montez Jones.

If I Had a Hammer Zabriawn Smith ’14 is driven by civic engagement.

BY AMANDA MINIX

28 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

“No matter where you go, team building is the difference between failure and success in this climate of changing demographics.”

within the students, but also facilitate those changes through the work I contributed as part of the front office team,” he said. “On the surface, it may seem like a workforce development program, but it is more of an establishment promoting healthy well-being.”

HOMETOWN SERVICE

WHEN ZABRIAWN SMITH ’14 talks about his work as an AmeriCorps ally, there is no mistaking his passion or drive to help the people he served.

He just finished a 10-month internship with the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, which trains skilled tradespeople — specifically targeting those with a carceral history — in the areas of general laboring, brick and block masonry, carpentry, stonework and welding.

The benefits are two-fold — the institute helps meet rising demands for tradespeople, while assisting students in regaining a focus on their future. Smith’s role was to cultivate an alumni network that assists graduates in gaining access to career opportunities within the community, as well as partner with organizations to develop programs that enrich the current student experience.

“My favorite part of my position was that I was able to come in and not only witness true change

Smith grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, located on the western edge of Pittsburgh, and was happy to serve his home community. He even knew some of the students with whom he worked. Montez Jones, a soon-to-be-graduate, grew up with Smith. “My mother was his teacher in elementary school,” he said.

Following graduation from W&L, Smith was an elementary school teacher in Kentucky, where he gained experience in creating a curriculum, building relationships with students and participating in community-outreach programs.

He decided to return to Pittsburgh because he wanted to make a significant impact in his hometown.

As a young alumnus, he has tried to find the right balance between trying new positions to gain experience and adhering too firmly to a set career path. Now, he believes he has learned how to determine if a position

will fulfill his passion to serve his community, while growing professionally.

At W&L, Smith learned the value of having the courage to speak up during classroom discussions. “My education prepared me to be bolder in my actions and to never remove myself from conversations, because in them, we are afforded an opportunity to integrate theories in hopes to implement more reasonable practices in our society,” he said.

TEACHER & MENTOR At the Trade Institute, Smith employed many skills, including critical thinking, which he honed from spending time in his W&L classes with those who had different opinions. Learning how to listen to people, appreciate their perspectives and be able to voice his own opinion to encourage discussion has been an invaluable tool. “No matter where you go, team building is the difference between failure and success in this climate of changing demographics,” he said.

“Learning what motivates others as well as yourself is your best way to ensure not only that you are an effective member of a team, but it also puts you in the best position to be a leader.”

MORE ABOUT ZABRIAWN MAJOR Politics

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER As vice president of a new nonprofit, Realty Thinking, he hopes to educate residents of marginalized areas on financial literacy, bring wealth into their communities and connect them with the resources to do so.

FOLLOW THE MUSIC Zabriawn is involved with 1Hood Media, a collective of socially conscious artists and activists who utilize art as a means of raising awareness about social justice matters affecting people around the world.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 29

LIVES OF CONSEQUENCE

Find Me Shelter Krista Camp ’13 is on the front lines of one of America’s most contentious issue — immigration.

BY ELIZABETH PARSONS • PHOTO BY OLEKSANDR KRAMARENKO

30 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

“I came to realize that the world would be a better place if we were all a bit kinder to one another.”

specialist at CWS and will focus on identifying the unmet needs of the refugee and immigrant communities that were affected by Hurricane Florence in North Carolina.

SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT

BY THE TIME KRISTA CAMP ’13 graduated, she had only been outside the U.S twice — to Costa Rica.

“I wanted to experience other cultures, but I wanted to do it in a way that was more impactful than simply traveling across the globe,” said Camp. “I wanted a very integrated experience in which I could hopefully give something back to the community I was in.”

She spent two years with the Peace Corps in Tisaleo, Ecuador, working for a foundation serving children with special needs. In 2016, she joined a satellite office of Church World Service (CWS) in Durham, North Carolina, a faith-based international aid organization that addresses hunger, poverty, displacement and disasters, both at home and abroad. It is also one of nine national refugee resettlement organizations funded by the Department of State.

ORIENTATION At CWS, refugees receive help with job placement and housing, cultural and community orientation and English classes. Camp also helped reunite families who might not

have seen each other in years. “I remember one case involving a 93-yearold woman from Burma whose daughter, granddaughter and great-grandson all came to the airport to pick her up. I was not expecting the emotional reaction I had when I saw them all together. You don’t realize how easy you have it until you are faced with the struggles that most of our clients see daily.”

Since 2016, the refugee resettlement program has seen a lot of ups and downs. When she joined, Camp was one of five case managers. Now there are two. With the current political climate, volunteer interest and donations have increased, “but the majority of the government funding has been completely slashed due to the low presidential determination on refugee admissions,” she said. “We never really know what’s going to happen, things change hour to hour.”

In January, Camp was promoted to disaster preparation and response

Last summer, Camp traveled to the Arizona border for a 10-week assignment working with asylum seekers recently released from detention to a United Methodist Committee on Relief shelter, an experience she described as “heartbreaking and hard, but also rewarding.”

The majority of asylum seekers come from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala or Mexico, usually by foot. Most claimants are shuttled to a detention center closest to their point of entry to be processed by immigration and to begin the asylum process. Those lucky enough to be released to a shelter will eventually be reunited with family in the U.S. They will stay with those family members until their first court date.

Those who arrived at Camp’s shelter were provided with beds, food, clothing, showers. They were prepped on the

asylum process and instructed on the location and date of their first immigration court appearance.

She said, “I met some of the strongest people I have ever known during those 10 weeks, and it is frankly quite disturbing what they go through.

Many are separated from their husbands or adult sons without a chance to say goodbye, not knowing when they are going to see one another again.

Despite all this, they remain kind and grateful and ultimately are just looking for a better life for themselves and their children. I fear for those who must spend this entire process within the walls of a detention center, isolated from their families and without any understanding of the complex immigration system. These people and this experience taught me a lot, but more than anything, I came to realize that the world would be a better place if we were all a bit kinder to one another.”

MORE ABOUT KRISTA MAJOR Psychology and politics

CASA During her junior year, Camp served as a court-appointed special advocate, as part of her philanthropic contribution as a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.

STATS CWS Durham has historically resettled about 200 refugees every year, but numbers can vary depending on the nationwide cap — the refugee ceiling — determined annually by the President. Between 2016 and 2019 the ceiling was reduced from 85,000 refugees to 30,000.

MOTTO “Love all, serve all and create no sorrow.”

ADVICE Do not fear the unknown, embrace it. You and the world will be better because of it.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 31

CLASS UPDATES AND SUCCESS STORIES

EVENTS YOUNG ALUMNI WEEKEND OCT. 25-27, 2019 Join your classmates, meet new friends, and enjoy the fall splendor of our beautiful campus. All alumni from 2008 to 2019 are most cordially invited. Since Hurricane Florence forced the cancellation of last year’s event, we’ll be celebrating the 5th, 6th, 10th and 11th reunions.

Celebrating Presidents’ Day with the San Diego Alumni Chapter. From l. to r.: Joe von Rosenberg P’21, Dean Rob Straughan, Sharon von Rosenberg P’21, Steve Wasser ’94, Beau Dudley ’74, ’79L and Cottie Miles ’94

CHAPTER CORNER

WE WANT YOU: THE IMPORTANCE OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

BY TOM LOVELL ’91, SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

“I’m too busy.” Work, family, life in general is busy. This is an all too common response I hear from many of you regarding why you aren’t more involved with your chapter. I get it, I really do, because I’m busy, too. However, I think it is vitally important for us alumni to carve out time to help keep our chapters active and engaging. Whether it’s serving as a volunteer leader or simply attending a chapter event, engagement with Washington and Lee adds to your busy schedule, but, we hope, in a fulfilling way.

There are more than 500 alumni who do find time to support our 77 alumni chapters. If you fall into that category, I thank you! Your service to the university is important and very much appreciated.

To all alumni, I hope the next time you receive an event invitation or a call to volunteer in some way in support of your chapter, I hope you will say, “I’m busy, but yes.” I thank you in advance and encourage you to remain engaged with your fellow chapter members and Washington and Lee. Support your chapter volunteers or even join them, because, you know, they’re busy, too.

32 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

FIVE-STAR WEEKEND Sept. 13-15, 2019 The 55th and 60th reunion classes of 1964 and 1959 are the centerpieces; all Five-Star Generals are, of course, welcome.

SEND US UPDATES Use magazine@wlu.edu to send: • Wedding and other photos • Changes of address/ subscription questions • Letters to the editor Call 540-458-8466 (subscription questions only) Magazine Washington and Lee University 7 Courthouse Square 204 W. Washington St. Lexington VA 24450-2116

STAY IN TOUCH Submit a class note: colonnadeconnections. wlu.edu or magazine@wlu.edu

CHUCK CAHN ’70 AND BURT STANIAR ’64 have a lot in common. They are both retired, live adjacent to Central Park in New York City (Cahn on the west side, Staniar on the east), have MBAs from Columbia University, and believe that schools in large, urban cities can be successful — with a little outside help.

So, they each stepped up to support schools in the NYC area.

In 2002, Cahn founded the Cahn Fellows Program at Columbia University’s Teachers College to provide advanced leadership-skills training to school principals. He developed the idea while researching options for his employer at the time, Stanford C. Bernstein & Co., which wanted to give away the corpus of its foundation’s capital before the company underwent a merger.

What started out as a New York City program, funded the first couple of years by Cahn and his family in partnership with Columbia University Teachers College, has expanded to six cities.

The program’s success — measured through better reading and math results — attracted a wide variety of funders. As it has grown, it has collaborated with philanthropically funded regional foundations, institutions and individuals to support principals selected to participate.

“Each district is thrilled. We are accomplishing things school districts can’t do on their own,” said Cahn. “They are desperate not to lose the leadership they have, and the fellowship program helps ensure that the best leaders are retained as principals or promoted to district-level positions.

We are getting three applications for every spot in the program,” he said.

CHUCK CAHN ’70 BURT STANIAR ’64

Back to School

BY LINDA EVANS

60s 1966 David D. Redmond (’69L) was nominated by St. Joseph Villa for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Central Virginia Chapter Volunteer Impact Award.

1969 Robert M. Buxton has served on the leadership board at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT since 2007. He has also served on the brain trust at the Zuckerman Mind Brain

Behavior Institute at Columbia University since 2012. Both Institutes are engaged with finding cures for Alzheimer’s, autism, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s and dementia.

Dr. Charles Stewart retired after 40 years of orthopedic practice in Boca Raton, Florida. He looks forward to spending time with his three grandchildren and traveling.

70s 1973 Hatton Smith ’73 and Rob Couch ’78, ’82L

participated in the Ride to End Polio, part of a worldwide initiative by Rotary to eradicate polio once and for all. Monies raised were matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

1974 Chris Formant published “Saving Washington: The Forgotten Story of the Maryland 400 and the Battle of Brooklyn” (Permuted Press), which follows young Joshua Bolton and his childhood friend Ben Wright, a freed black man, who enlist in the Revolutionary War.

As he was eying retirement as chair of Knoll Inc., Staniar became involved with NYC Outward Bound Schools. “I had the great privilege of serving on the W&L Board of Trustees for 10 years, where I saw excellence in action. However, I wasn’t seeing excellence in the high school graduates we hired into our factories.”

After researching NYC Outward Bound, attending some classes and witnessing the impressive results, Staniar said he was “blown away” by the nonprofit’s approach to transforming public schools and joined its board and executive committee. The organization combines demanding and engaging learning with an emphasis on community and character. “The program is young and wildly successful,” Staniar said. “It fulfills a great need.”

The results are impressive. Schools in the network have a high school graduation rate of 88 percent, versus 74 percent for other NYC schools.

Ninety-eight percent of the graduates have been accepted into college. With its To and Through program, NYC Outward Bound continues to support students while they are in college, many of whom are first-generation college students.

Both W&L graduates believe that big-city schools don’t have to fail. “They can succeed,” said Staniar. Cahn noted it is incredibly gratifying to have a role in helping students obtain a better education, along with all the other positive outcomes: better jobs, fewer teen pregnancies, lower incarceration rates, involved citizens.

“These results make up for the articles that don’t get written about programs like ours,” he said.

80s 1981 R. Parke Ellis was inducted into the The Insurance Business of America’s 2018 Hall of Fame, and his daughter Betsy Ellis Clement ’09 was named to the organization’s 2018 Young Guns list.

Chris Formant ’74 SAVING WASHINGTON: THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF THE MARYLAND 400 AND THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN

1983 John W. Perkinson Jr. received the 2018 Max Steinbock award from The International Labor Communications Association for his article,

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 33

REFLECTING FORWARD

W&L’s Special Sauce ALICIA HAY MATTHAI ’91 PRESIDENT, ALUMNI BOARD OF DIRECTORS Washington and Lee alumni are enthusiastic! With over 27,000 of us, we are the largest constituency of the university, and we care a great deal about its past, present and future.

Recently, I was at a college night for my son and several people said that it doesn’t matter where you go to college. As a proud alumna, I disagreed. W&L provides a top-tier education and produces alumni who are passionate, impactful, honorable and loyal to our school and to each other. As someone recently described it, this “special sauce” makes us unique.

With gratitude to all of you, alumni play the defining role in sustaining W&L. Spanning multiple generations, our sustained support has made it possible for the university to be strong. We endow scholarships, professorships and buildings; we encourage students and each other in careers; we walk together through major life milestones. I join my eight closest W&L friends for annual gatherings. In the early years, it was to compare notes on dating, later it was our children, and more recently a spouse’s death, the loss of a parent and divorce. We may not see each other often, but the foundations are strong, and when life calls, we answer.

“Flying Heroes: ALPA Pilots Deliver Aid to Hurricane-Ravaged Puerto Rico.” It is the organization’s highest honor for journalistic excellence. The story appeared in the November 2017 issue of Air Line Pilot magazine.

1985 Kevin J. McClatchy was promoted to associate professor in the Department of Theatre at The Ohio State University. He is the head of acting and directing, as well as the director of The Shakespeare and Autism Project at OSU. He appeared in “The Old Man and the Gun,” starring Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck. He also has roles in the upcoming films “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” (premiering at Sundance) and “Heartland,” and the upcoming NBC Universal series “Gone.”

1986 Andrew A. St. John won election to the city council of Brunswick, Maryland, in August 2018.

J. Greg Wheeler ’86 relocated from Chicago to Birmingham, Alabama, as general manager, Blazer, IMG sports marketing, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham athletics department. He’s enjoyed reconnecting with classmates William King and Lee Hollis and working with Hatton Smith ’73 to promote the Blazers, which had its best year ever with an 11-3 record, Conference USA Championship and Bowl Game win.

1987 Peter E. Van Son is a director at Major, Lindsey & Africa in New York City,

34 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

It is essential that alumni be active partners with the administration, faculty and trustees, channeling our devotion to help make W&L the very best it can be. Thirty are trustees, and 24 are on the Alumni Board. We serve on other leadership boards and councils, run our local chapters, promote the brand where we live, and support faculty and student activities. Alumni can and should help the university achieve the balance inherent in our motto. We need to move forward as W&L always has, and we need to be distinctive among private liberal arts institutions.

When prospective students ask me what are the best parts of W&L, I mention my professors, the Honor System and the Speaking Tradition. I also mention my friendship with an alumnus who graduated 50 years before me. We talked often about how our experiences on campus and in Lexington shaped our lives. Otherwise separated by age, gender and technology, our education, our memories and our shared affection for W&L put us on the same page.

It has been a great pleasure to serve as the Alumni Association president. Come back to campus whenever you can and remember that our collective voice is an integral part of W&L’s special sauce.

where he recruits top law firm partners. He and his wife and two children, Colette and Max, live in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

Michael F. Wacht was accepted into the online M.S. in communication program at Purdue University’s Brian Lamb School of Communication.

1988 Floyd M. Wiley III was named to Forbes’ America’s Top Wealth Advisors list. Wiley serves as a private wealth advisor and managing director in the private banking and investment group at Merrill Lynch in Atlanta.

Edward J. Willard had a great lunch reconnecting with SigEp fraternity brother Jeffrey Britton ’86, whom he hadn’t seen since his graduation. It

was “a very enjoyable time which must not occur again.”

1989 Wm. Weston J. Newton received the inaugural Carl Levin Award for Effective Oversight from The Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School.

90s

Reserve with a Legion of Merit Award. He also received a Humanitarian Service Medal for service as the Staff Judge Advocate for the 1st Mission Support Command during relief efforts following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.

1993 Curtis R. Joseph Jr. (’96L) is president of the Shreveport Bar Association.

1994

1992 Col. Toby D. McCoy (’95L) retired from the Army Reserve. After nearly 30 years of military service, including four years of ROTC at W&L and 26 years commissioned service, McCoy was recognized by the Army

Daniel G. Katzenbach was listed in Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite.

1996 Robert J. Ross received the OKCITYAN of the Year

IN THE TRADITION OF HER NOMADIC ancestors, Roshni Nirody ’00 has been following a life and career that is taking her around the world.

“It intrigued me how generations of my father’s family lived with no written records. How did they stay in constant motion and survive?” Her great-grandfather, born in central Asia, her grandfather, born in Burma, and her father, born in India, seem to have passed on to Nirody an innate curiosity to keep moving and see what is out there beyond the next river, ocean or mountain.

Since 2006, she has worked for the U.S. Department of State, and she is currently stationed as political chief at the embassy in Lisbon, Portugal.

And while she has moved around with State — from India to Iraq and Japan — Nirody had an itch for travel even earlier in her life.

A Thomas J. Watson Foundation fellowship allowed her to study the nomadic tribes in Mexico, Thailand, India, Burma, China and Ireland. She biked from the U.S.-Mexico border to Guatemala, conducting research and helping design small-scale economic development projects along the way.

While earning a master’s degree at Cornell University, Nirody traveled to Brazil on a graduate research fellowship. There, she worked on efforts to improve an education development project, “Goat to School,” aimed at eliminating malnutrition and raising literacy rates among child workers in rural areas of the country.

After accompanying a friend who was taking a

ROSHNI NIRODY ’00

A General Abroad

BY LINDA EVANS

Award and was featured in the Jan. 11 edition of the Oklahoma paper OKC.

1998 Patrick O’Connell presented on “International Trends in Higher Education Philanthropy” at the Universitad Catholica del Chile during the 2018 Summit Internacional Educación. Aside from academic pursuits, he was all too happy to consume an unreasonable amount of ceviche and a bit of Chilean wine while visiting Santiago. As a member of the Columbia University faculty, O’Connell has lectured on issues of higher education philanthropy at the University of Oxford, the University of Bologna, International House New

York and at numerous CASE and AFP conferences in the U.S. and Europe. Upon arriving home, he, his wife, Antoinette, and “Irish twins,” James, 21/2, and Catherine, 1, moved to Bronxville, New York.

00s 2001 Michael T. Pidgeon (’04L) was promoted to shareholder at Eastburn and Gray P.C.

2002 Emily A. Peck-McClain co-edited “We Pray With Her: Encouragement for

All Women Who Lead.”

The book has 70 United Methodist young clergywomen (under 40) contributing to a book of 100 devotions and additional prayers for different occasions that arise in women’s lives.

Lauren Paxton Roberts (’05L), an attorney with Stites & Harbison, was named to the 2018 edition of Mid-South SuperLawyers.

2003 Lindsey Doran Sberna (’06L) joined Steward Health Care as deputy general counsel.

2004 Katie Howell Beckman has been named editor of Greenwire, the flagship

written exam for employment at the State Department, she took the test herself and passed.

She went on to take the oral exam and was offered a job. “I thought I’d last a year. It has been amazing,” she said of her nearly 16 years with the department.

In Japan, she met the new ambassador, Caroline Kennedy, on an elevator. It wasn’t long before Kennedy asked her to become her special advisor. Kennedy, she said, was “curious, athletic and understood how policy issues manifested in people’s lives.” The two rode bicycles along the coast of northern Japan to view damage from the tsunami, and Nirody was by her side while she gave speeches in 42 of the 47 prefectures in the country.

As a diplomat, Nirody says she has a three-part role: following guidance from Washington, such as relaying important messages; negotiating to solve problems while not threatening bilateral relationships; and providing support to visitors, especially congressional delegations, to the embassy. For the latter role, she received the William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent from the American Foreign Service Association.

The organization cited her ideas for strategically taking advantage of congressional visits to engage with Congress, shape the visits and leave a lasting impression.

Nirody and her family will be uprooted again soon, as she has received a one-year assignment in Washington, D.C., and will then become the political-economic chief at the U.S. embassy in Indonesia.

publication of E&E News, which covers energy, environment and natural resource news.

2005 Suzanne LaFleur published “Counting to Perfect” (Wendy Lamb Books), her sixth children’s book. Her protagonist, Cassie, is a rising seventh grader and a competitive swimmer who plans to spend her summer at the pool.

Emily A. Peck-McClain ’02 co-edited WE PRAY WITH HER: ENCOURAGEMENT FOR ALL WOMEN WHO LEAD

Maria Trimble Holvick (’08L) was promoted to labor and employment chair for Gordan and Ree’s national retail and hospitality practice group.

Laura Westerman Tanner was promoted to partner at Burr & Forman L.L.P.

Suzanne LaFleur ’05 COUNTING TO PERFECT

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 35

MAX ADLER ’04

The Art of the Second Shot

BY ANNA AKINS ’17

MAX ADLER ’04 NEVER WOULD HAVE guessed that his love of golf and a studio art degree from Washington and Lee would one day play a role in the release of an innocent man from prison.

Adler, the editorial director at Golf Digest, launched a lengthy investigation that recently led to the release of Valentino Dixon, a man who had spent 27 years at a maximum-security prison for a murder he didn’t commit.

Dixon was suspected of fatally shooting Torriano Jackson in 1991 during a party that turned violent. Even though someone else confessed to the killing, Dixon was already on law enforcement’s radar for drug dealing.

In 2011, Adler was a staff writer at Golf Digest when he received a letter postmarked from Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Along with a letter from Dixon was a small drawing of a golf course rendered in colored pencil. Although Dixon had never played a game of golf in his life, he began drawing pictures of golf courses while in prison that were based on copies of Golf Digest. Inside the magazine, Dixon had found a series of columns written by Adler under the title, “Golf Saved My Life.”

Adler, who played on the golf team at W&L, was especially drawn to the beauty of Dixon’s

drawing, noting, “Here was golf and art colliding in this amazing way. It definitely caught my attention.”

From there, Adler visited Dixon and began uncovering several holes in Dixon’s case — including conflicting testimony from witnesses and no trace of physical evidence linking Dixon to the murder. Then, in 2012, Adler published a story in Golf Digest making the case for Dixon’s innocence, which generated some interest from the Golf Channel, NBC News and other media outlets, but was not enough to completely tip the scale in Dixon’s favor.

In 2018, Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative heard of Dixon’s story and filmed a documentary that uncovered vital new evidence in the case. In September, a new district attorney in Erie County, New York, agreed to vacate Dixon’s murder conviction, making him a free man.

Adler is amazed by Dixon’s mental fortitude which enabled him to survive nearly 30 grueling years in one of the nation’s most dangerous prisons. But his release was bittersweet. “It’s still wrong that he was in prison for so long and had the prime of his life taken from him.”

CAPTAIN’S LOG

Wildlife Safari in Tanzania: Oct. 31-Nov. 11, 2018 W&L Alumni trips are known for the camaraderie they generate and for their intellectually stimulating adventures around the globe. A recent trip to Tanzania was no different, but this group asked an important question: “How can we give back to the community we’re visiting?”

Rob Fure, director of Lifelong Learning, said, “I can still recall our visit to the Imani Orphanage Center during that heavy thunderstorm. It was Saturday morning, Nov. 3. We had barely escaped the onset of the rain and, after touring the shadowy interior of the orphanage, stood for several minutes on the front porch of the center watching the rainwater cascade from the roof just inches from a large black tank onto the red mud below. There was no money, the diminutive housemother explained, to connect the water catchment to the cistern — and, beyond that, nothing to install a spigot at the bottom of the tank.”

The group’s tour guide, Robert Marks, explained that children collected water from the river, a few miles from the center. Several alumni suggested that something could be done about that. “And so we did,” said Fure.

Alumni contributed enough funds to install appropriate water catchment from the roof to a standing cistern and various plumbing to enable residents to draw water from the cistern. There was also sufficient money to connect the orphanage to the local water service, as well.

Marks, who oversaw the installation of these improvements, wrote, “We look forward to hosting you when you return so that you can personally inspect these developments. ‘Asante sana’ (thank you very much).”

Drake Leddy ’71 getting to know some of the children at the orphanage.

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36 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

CHRISTINA CHEADLE ’16

Organizing the World

BY BARBARA ELLIOTT

2008 William B. Larson Jr. (’11L) rejoined his prior law firm MG+M The Law Firm in the Wilmington, Delaware, office after two years of public service as senior assistant city solicitor for the city of Wilmington. He focuses on toxic tort litigation, general litigation, and local government matters.

He is also vice chair of the litigation section of the Delaware State Bar Association.

J. Edward McAuliffe III left his position as an assistant district attorney for Orleans Parish, joining the firm of Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett in New Orleans.

2009 Rebecca R. Bratu won a News and Documentary Emmy Award in October

YOU MIGHT SAY THAT CHRISTINA CHEADLE ’16 is in charge of organizing the organizers.

Cheadle is community and events manager for KonMari Media Inc., the company founded by tidying expert and Netflix star Marie Kondo with a mission to “organize the world.” Her role is to coordinate events for an international team of consultants who are trained in the KonMari method of helping clients identify items in their homes that bring them joy and let go of those that don’t.

It’s the perfect job for Cheadle. It’s part time, so she is able to pursue a doctorate in anthropology at University College London. And it fits into her research on why it’s hard for people to let go of their stuff.

“I’ve steered clear of the hoarder topic because I didn’t want to fight that label that suggests a mental illness,” she explained. “I want to study the average person and learn about why we keep the things we do.”

From her base in London, Cheadle makes introductory calls and arranges workshops and networking events for some 240 certified consultants around the world. She plans an annual retreat for consultants and two or three large seminars a year for people interested in becoming consultants. She also produces monthly webinars to help them stay connected

for an NBC digital project she co-produced titled, “Battling Dementia: A Mother and Son’s Incredible Journey.” The short film won in the category outstanding feature story in a news magazine. Bratu is a social media producer for NBC Left Field.

10s 2010 Catherine M. Carlock has been named a Boston Power Woman by Bisnow, a commercial real estate news and events company.

Carlock has been real estate editor at the Boston Business Journal since 2014.

Alexandra V. Eichenbaum (’16L) joined Georgia Legal Services Program as staff attorney.

Amy Conant Hoang (’13L) was honored by Tahirih Justice Center for her pro bono work for immigrant women and girls.

Collin S. Peck (’10) joined the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy L.L.P. in its New York office as an associate in the real estate group. He spent the previous three years as an associate at the New York office of the law firm Greenberg Traurig L.L.P.

and foster a better sense of community. “It means a lot to them to see a member of KonMari Media and know they are supported,” she said.

Interest has skyrocketed since the premiere of the Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” She already has 100 people signed up for the next seminar in New York, and there are 500 on the waiting list. Although she was not directly involved with the series, Cheadle did help organize consultants who worked with six of the eight families on the show.

Cheadle readily admits that she would not be a good consultant herself. “You need patience.

People go on and on about their stuff,” she laughed.

A summa laude graduate in sociology and anthropology and art history, Cheadle noted that other aspects of her time at W&L helped her land the KonMari job. The first was her interest in Japanese, which led her take courses from Janet Ikeda and attend the Japan-America Student Conference. The second was her work as events coordinator for her sorority.

“It is ironic that two random things I did at W&L led me to this amazing job,” she marveled.

2015

2017

David J. Thomas was elected county auditor for Ashtabula County, Ohio.

Alexandra J. Seymour received a yearlong Public Policy Fellowship with The Fund for American Studies.

CELEBRATING A PLACE LIKE NO OTHER All revenues from the University Store support W&L

2012 Aria Vainstein Allan (’16L) joined Balch & Bingham L.L.P. as an attorney.

YETI Insulated Wine Rambler

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YETI Rambler Bottle

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WEDDINGS

1

2

4

1. Rian Lewis ’05 to Andrew Perry on Nov. 17, 2018 (the original wedding date was postponed due to Hurricane Florence) in Cape Charles, Virginia.

Members of the bridal party included Kelly Jo Larsen ’05 and Allen Barry ’05. Alumni in attendance included Dustin Jacobson ’05, Calvin Awkward ’06, ’09L, Bernie Lewis ’74 (bride’s father), and Mark Schmidtke ’81L (maid of honor’s father). The couple reside in Newport News, Virginia, with their two dogs. Rian is a supervising attorney at the Newport News Public Defender

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5

office, and Andrew is a middle school physics teacher.

2. Sarah Helms ’07 to John Floyd on June 9, 2018, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fellow Generals in attendance were Phifer Helms ’74 (father of the bride), Ginny Helms Warlick ’05 and Caroline Helms ’11 (sisters of the bride and matron & maid of honor), Anne Wiltshire Henry ’07 and Huntley Rodes ’07 (bridesmaids), Kelly Price Rivera ’07, Amy Volkmann Roberts ’07, Sarah Otey ’07, Neil and Susan Cunningham and Mike McGarry ’87. Not pictured

38 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

6

are Lat Purser ’73, Nan Clarke ’76L and Hal Clarke ’73, ’76L. The couple live in Charlotte, North Carolina.

3. Nelson O. Bunn Jr. ’08 to Trevor Pearson, at the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3, 2018. They reside in the North Michigan Park neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Attendees included: Madeline Gent ’08, Mike Fahey ’08, Whitney Rothstein Fleschler ’08, Megan Nelson Ratwani ’08, Adam Hoehn ’08, Trevor Pearson, Anne Hassell Hoehn ’08, Nelson Bunn ’08, Alex Csordas ’08, Stevenson Bunn ’11,

Mark Rentschler ’82, Lauren Travis Everett ’08, Peter Jones ’06, Whitney Duffey Jones ’08, Lyndsay Polloway ’06. Not pictured: Seth Feibelman ’08.

4. Coleman Nalley ’09 to Carson Raymond on April 7, 2018. The wedding and reception were held on Saint Simons Island, Georgia. From l. to r.: Jim Thomas, Katherine Thomas Jacques ’05, Lane Nalley ’74 (father of the bride), Kara McElroy Hagerty ’09 (matron of honor), Laura Sanders Boles ’09 (bridesmaid), Baker Boles ’09 and Mary Catherine Burdine ’08 (bridesmaid).

5. Thomas Frith ’10, ’15L to Krista Consiglio ’15L on Oct. 20, 2018, in Roanoke.

The wedding party included Meg Sawyer ’15L, Julie Mayer ’15L and Hannah Shtein ’15L. In attendance were many W&L alumni, including Claire Leonard ’16L, Richard Doelling ’15L, Matt Winer ’15L, Stevi Frost ’15L, Adam Wendel ’15L, Zach Agge ’15L, Cristina Agee ’15L, Scott Burton ’16L, Joey Connor ’15L, Julian Harf ’16L, Meghan Flinn ’14L, Austin Lomax ’15L, Wes Smith ’15L, Davis Frith ’13, Will Hoing ’15L and John Ditore ’10.

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6. W. Dalton Harris II ’10 to Julia Wood on Dec. 1, 2018, in Houston. Corbin Blackford ’07 and Wesley Tetsworth ’10 were groomsmen. In attendance were Karen and John Freeman ’87L, Henry Grimball ’05, Trey Shehan ’08, Robert Bowler ’10, Julia Farnham ’10, Josh Gonzalez ’10, Zachary Segall ’10, William Bruckman ’11 and Benjamin McCain ’11. The couple reside in Houston, where Dalton works in the energy industry, and Julia works in the corporate interiors industry.

7. Amy Conant ’10, ’13L to Bach Hoang on June 30, 2018, in St. Michaels, Maryland. The bridal party included Chelsea Church ’10, Diana Love ’10, Chloe McDougal ’13L and Tracy Richardson ’11.

8. Andrew P. Lambert ’10 to Jordan McConnel ’10 on June 23, 2018, in Lexington. Andrew is currently an enforcement attorney with the Federal Aviation Administration, and Jordan is a senior manager, brand strategy and marketing, at RedPeg Marketing. They live in Washington, D.C. Bottom row, l. to r.: Jordan Anderson ’07, Sarah

Murray ’06, Patrick White ’08, Marshall Rule ’08, Bryan Gales ’08, Molly Harrington ’10, Nathan Jensen ’10, ’13L, Katie Duncan ’08, Jon Malooly ’07 and Matthew Craycraft ’09. Second row, l. to r: Tim Gavrich ’11, Matt Mason ’10, Michael White ’12, Lexi Kierst, Caroline Helms ’11, Huntley Rodes ’07, Jordan McConnel ’10, Andrew Lambert ’10, Sarah Catherine Rodes ’11, Caroline Brzozowicz ’10, Molly West Craycraft ’10, Professor Harlan Beckley, Professor Rebecca Benefiel, Professor Kevin Crotty, Ashley Gerrish ’09,

Andrew Gerrish ’09, ’12L and Clark Simcoe ’11. Third row, l. to r.: Kevin Trempe ’10, William Luce III ’10, Colin Whitmore ’20, Adam Kowalsky ’07, Cole Whitmore ’22 and Mark Eastham ’84.

9. Matthew M. May ’10 to Catherine Mitros on Aug. 5, 2017. In attendance were Eric Veres ’10, Richard Knack ’10, Josh Kuckley ’10, Strock Moore ’10, Rob Saliers ’10 and Russ Weems ’10.

10. Caitlin Haigis ’11 to Stockton Bullitt ’12, on June 16, 2018, in Newport, Rhode Island. The wedding party included Allie Oglesby ’11, Jennie

Goetsch ’11, Kyle Bond ’12, Zac Burke ’12, Ben Petitto ’12, Charlie Martin ’12 and Will Smith ’12.

11. Crawford Rhyne ’14 to John Torell V ’14 on June 30, 2018, in Belmont, North Carolina. They live in New York City. Classmates in attendance included Mac O’Brien, Jed Helvey, Henry Portwood, Mark Burlee, Liza Crenshaw, Kyle Hetherington, Norris Lafitte, Joe Wood, Jack Cottrill, Andy Ogburn, Laura Beth Ellis, Anna Thomas, Josh Josephson, William Metzger, Virginia McGarry, Caroline Gill, Lee Cummings, John Hewell, Ashley Cole, Alex Zelinski,

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 39

WEDDINGS

BIRTHS Megan Fink Brevard ’00 and her husband, Dale, a son, Theodore, on Nov. 1, 2018. The couple reside in Matthews, North Carolina.

Courtenay Fisher Clark ’02, ’09L and Chris Clark ’02, a daughter, Lucy Baylor Clark, on May 11, 2018. She joins sister Piper Lee Clark. The family live in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Tracy Johnson McKinney ’02 and her husband, Scott, a son, Tyler James on Dec. 4, 2018. He joins Clayton, 5, and Katie Paige, 3. Tracy is enjoying her extended maternity leave from American Express, where she has worked for seven years. The family reside in Houston.

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David W. Skeen Jr. ’02 and his wife, Mackenzie, a son, Tully, on Aug. 7, 2018.

Elizabeth Steitz, Bryan Mullady, Julia Martin, Stephen Sims, Lizzie Weston, Max Krauss, Margaret Tolmie, Charlotte Collins, Libby Cloos, Lilie Jane Hudson, Ellie Fossier, Sarah Jessee and Chandler Black, and Turner Allison ’15 and Bill Metzger ’85.

12. Tyler Anderson ’15 to Blake Spencer ’15 on Sept.

22, 2018, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Not Shown: Dr. Charles E. Stewart ’69 to Margaret Lafley on Oct 6, 2018, in Naples, Florida. Scott Fechnay ’69 and Randolph Brinton ’68 attended the wedding celebration.

Alexandra Foley ’06 to Chris Arntz on Feb. 3 in Healdsburg, California.

Amanda Tholke ’08 to Kyle Hollenkamp on Sept. 14, 2018. The ceremony was officiated

by Will Waller ’08, with Allison Hamil ’06, Emilee Johnson ’06, Jenna Walls ’09 and Stephanie Hardiman Simon ’10 in attendance.

40 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

Gavin Dean ’00 and Emma Thomas Dean ’03, a daughter, Megan Harriet Dean, on Sept. 24, 2018.

Miles,7, Wills, 5, and Jonathan, 3, are enjoying being big brothers.

John K. Weedon ’03 and his wife, Brooke, a daughter, Liza Dailey on June 13, 2018. She joins brothers Jake and Beau, grandfather Jerry Weedon ’70 and aunt Lauren Weedon Hopkins ’99. The family live in Jacksonville, Florida.

Stacy Sweet Patlovich ’04 and her husband, Eric, a son, Andrew Frederick, on Feb. 1, 2018. He joins brother Whit. The family live in Washington, D.C.

Amanda Lueders Heitz ’05 and her husband, Stephen, a son, Gabriel Endeavour, in July 2018.

Amanda is a senior counsel in Bowman and Brooke’s Phoenix office, where she has a trial and appellate practice.

Stephen is the chief innovation officer for Lavidge, a Phoenix-based advertising agency.

George D. Johnson III ’05 and his wife, Carter, a son, George “Dean” IV, on Nov. 7, 2018. The family reside in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Mary Hammon Lee Quinn ’06 and her husband, Jacob, a son, Peter, on Aug. 21, 2018. He joins brother, Seamus, 2, and the family live in Houston.

Charles R. Yates III ’06, ’10L and his wife, Lane, a son, Charlie Yates IV, on Oct. 16, 2018. His grandfather is Charlie Yates Jr. ’70.

Clayton T. Edwards Jr. ’07 and his wife, Emily, a daughter, Elizabeth “Lanier” on Dec. 14, 2018.

She joins sister Amelia.

Elizabeth Brandler Danowski ’08 and Sean Danowski ’07, a son, Rory, on Dec. 5, 2018. He joins sister Emma. Lil took a full-time role with Snag as a senior revenue operations specialist, and Sean is training to become a financial advisor with Edward Jones. They live in Richmond.

Lisa M. Martinez ’08 and her husband, Adam Banks, a daughter, Sophia, on Jan. 24.

Edward McAuliffe III ’08 and Laura Denny McAuliffe ’08, a son, John Edward IV, on Aug. 3, 2018.

He joins sisters, Cecilia, 4 and Margaret, 2.

Gus Cavanaugh ’10 and Katharine Scott Cavanaugh ’09, a son, Liam Gustaf, on Sept. 7, 2018.

Diana Burgreen Martinez ’09 and Peter Martinez ’09, a daughter, Victoria Anne, on Oct. 11, 2018.

She joins brother Michael.

They live in Houston.

Taylor E. Mitchell ’09 and his wife, Heloise, a daughter, Catharine “Kavanaugh,” on April 24, 2018.

Heather Jordan Teass ’09 and her husband, Tyler, a daughter, Ellis Mae, on May 11, 2018. She joins brother Avett Lee. They live in Charlottesville.

Skip Wood ’11 and Anne Collier Reid Wood ’11, a daughter, Mary Marshall, on Oct. 3, 2018. The family reside in Atlanta.

ALUMNI NEWS

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1. Maj. Kim Stenson ’75 (left) met with Congressman Joe Wilson ’69 at the State Emergency Operations Center in South Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and during preparations for Hurricane Michael. Kim serves as the director, South Carolina Emergency Management Division, and Congressman Wilson stopped by several times for updates on emergency operations.

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2. In mid-October, several members of the Class of ’78 and their wives held what is becoming an annual reunion at Pawleys Island, South Carolina, where we reveled in the memory of graduating from an honorable and unique institution. L. to r.: John Hill, Mike Cleary, Mark Putney, Mark Hampton, Rob Sult, Tommy Tift, Travis Bass and John Martin.

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3. At the Montpelier Hunt Races in Orange, Virginia, November 2018. Front row, l. to r.: George Lupton III ’84, Jim Higgason ’84 and David Perdue ’85. Back row, l. to r.: Steve Bendheim ’85, Ben Hale ’85, William Cocke ’82 and Jay Josey ’86.

4. The Phi Delta Theta Class of ’84 reunion at Sea Island, Georgia. Front row, l. to r.: John Cleghorn, Edwin Bell, Bubba Shaffer, Charlie Alcorn, Eddie Curran and Parker Schenecker. Back row, l. to r.: Louis Jehl, Peter Collins, Jimmy Fay, Chip Skinner, Tommy Pritchard, Emery Ellinger and Jeff Maddox.

5. The brothers of Phi Gamma Delta had their annual gathering in Annapolis, Maryland in early September to enjoy some steamed crabs and Natty Boh’s. Pictured: Keith Boyd ’89, Tony Waskewicz ’89, James Cotter ’88, Gary Appel ’87, Mitchell Schmale ’91, Joe Zamorano ’89, Jason Russo ’89, Rob McPherson ’89, Rich Montague ’90, Tony Demartino ’89 and Andrew Hermer ’89.

6. Members of the Class of 1993 had a mini-reunion in Pittsburgh. From l. to r.: Stephanie Sauers McCaffrey, Cara Snyder, Kimberly Marcott Weinberg, Jennifer Zambone, and Teresa Williams Pope. Over the long weekend the dear friends caught up and reminisced while taking in a Pirates game, visiting the Warhol Museum, paying homage to Fred Rogers at the Heinz History Center and shopping at the Strip.

They are already planning to get together again for a certain milestone birthday they will all have in a few years!

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 41

OBITS 1940s James P. Fristoe ’40, of Lady Lake, Florida, died on Jan. 19. He served in the Navy and belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha.

James A. Russell Jr. ’41 of Clarksdale, Mississippi, died on Jan. 30, 2017. He served in the Army during World War II and Korea.

He received numerous medals while serving in the military. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Samuel B. Read ’42L, of Manassas, Virginia, died on Jan. 25.

Donald E. Garretson ’43, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, died on Jan. 26. He served in the Navy during World War II. His 35-year career with 3M included serving as the company’s CFO and as president of the 3M Foundation. He belonged to Delta Tau Delta.

Bryant W. Gillespie III ’44, of Lombard, Illinois, died on Aug. 1, 2018. He served in the Army during World War II. He produced his own daily radio programs under the pseudonym of Gil Bryan; “A Time To Remember” and “A Thought For Today,” were broadcast in 39 states and Canada. He was vice president of broadcasting at Nightingale Conant Corp. in Chicago. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.

Dr. Lloyd H. Holly Smith Jr. ’44, of Kentfield, California, died on June 18, 2018. He helped transform UC San Francisco into a world-renowned health sciences university. He was uncle to Lloyd Sams ’78 and belonged to Delta Tau Delta.

Jared A. Close ’45, of Fairfield, Virginia, died on Jan. 16, 2018. He served in the Air Force during World War II. He retired as vice president of public affairs for Sunnyside Presbyterian Home. He belonged to Delta Upsilon.

Robert A. Warms ’47, of Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, died on July 23, 2018.

He worked in advertising.

Josiah P. Rowe III ’48, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, died on Nov. 3, 2018. He served in the Army, was the mayor of Fredericksburg and was the general manager and publisher of The Free Lance-Star, whose companies included WFLS, WYSK, WWUZ, fredericksburg.com and Print Innovators. He was grandfather to Katherine Roberts Sackman ’12, uncle to John Rowe ’87, great-uncle to Scott Gould ’15 and cousin to Ariel Rowe ’60. He belonged to Delta Tau Delta.

John C. Dillon ’49, of Woodstock, Connecticut, died on Sept. 14, 2018. He served in the Navy during World War II. He was the owner of The Russian Bear Inn in Thompson, and he also authored two books, “Blasted Apes” and “Rhyme and Reason.”

Dewey L. Mitchell ’49, of Roanoke, died on Aug. 23, 2017. He served in the Army during World War II. Leonard Curly A. Nixon ’49, of Knoxville, Tennessee, died on Sept.

5, 2018. He served in the Navy during World War II. He owned and operated a heavy equipment business in Knoxville, as well as Southeastern Machinery and Roadtec. He was grandfather to Christina Nixon Bone ’12 and Caroline Nixon ’15. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.

William K. Stephenson ’49, of Greenville, South

42 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

Carolina, died on Nov. 10, 2018. He served in the cavalry and infantry during World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He worked in the securities industry and was a principal with V.M. Manning & Co. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta.

Kenneth H. Wacker ’49, of Hobe Sound, Florida, died on April 21, 2018. He belonged to Sigma Nu.

1950s James Q. Agnew ’50, of Irvington, Virginia, died on Nov. 16. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He was father-in-law to Alexis LaMotte ’78 and great-uncle to Sarah Agnew ’16. He belonged to Sigma Nu. Allen W. Faris ’50, of Powhatan, Virginia, died on Feb. 9, 2017. He was uncle to Douglas Faris ’76 and belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.

James T. Hedrick ’50, of Durham, North Carolina, died on Oct. 24, 2018. He served in the Army. He was a lawyer and president of the Durham County Bar Assoc. He belonged to Beta Theta Pi. John J. Macheras ’50, of Melbourne, Florida, died on Oct. 3, 2018. He served in the Army and worked in education.

Augustine J. Signaigo ’50, of Welch, West Virginia, died on Dec. 18, 2018. He retired as president of The Bank of Iaeger. He belonged to Pi Kappa Alpha.

Gerry U. Stephens ’50, of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, died on Dec. 20, 2018. He served in the Army during World War II. He worked at American National and was great uncle to Elizabeth ’21 and Harper Lanier ’21L. He belonged to Beta Theta Pi. Chester A. Williams Jr. ’50, of Statesville, North Carolina, died on Oct. 4.

He served in the Navy during World War II. He worked for GE and belonged to Beta Theta Pi. The Rev. Thomas C. Davis Jr. ’51, of Clemson, South Carolina, died on Jan. 13, 2018. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He retired as rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Clemson.

Robert E. Glenn ’51, ’53L, of Roanoke, died on Oct. 18, 2018. He served in the Air Force and practiced law in Roanoke with Glenn, Feldmann, Darby and Goodlatte. He was father to Bob Glenn Jr. ’86 and grandfather to Robert O’Brien ’16. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi. John A. F. Hall Jr. ’51, of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, died on Oct. 30, 2018. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.

Peyton S. Kulman ’51, of Boca Raton, Florida, died on March 29, 2017. He was an investment counselor with Eckhouse, Kulman & Co.

HENRY SHARP JR., PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS EMERITUS Henry Sharp Jr., Rupert and Lillian Radford Professor of Mathematics Emeritus, died Sept.

23, 2018, in Lexington. He was 94.

Before joining the W&L faculty as head of the Mathematics Department in 1983, he taught at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. Sharp retired from W&L in 1991.

Sharp’s research interests included graph theory and combinatorial mathematics, and he received an NSF grant and an NSF science faculty fellowship to study these topics. He published numerous papers for professional journals and wrote four pre-calculus textbooks.

After retirement, Sharp volunteered as a mentor/tutor in the Lexington and Rockbridge County public schools, where he earned the esteem of many young students, parents and teachers. He joined the board for the Kendal at Lexington Retirement Community, and he and his wife were among the earliest residents there. He continued his lifelong interest in education by offering a number of short courses in mathematics for fellow Kendal residents.

Read the full obit at go.wlu.edu/sharp_obit.

DAVID B. DICKENS, PROFESSOR OF GERMAN EMERITUS David B. Dickens, professor of German emeritus, died on Jan. 9, 2019. He was 85.

As well as teaching all levels of conversational German, he taught German literature of the 17th and 18th centuries, German cultural history, and literature of the fantastic. His research interests included Kurt Kusenberg, whom Dickens described as “the 20th-century German existentialist with a sense of humor”; Clemens Brentano, a key figure of German Romanticism; and vampires.

On the occasion of his retirement in 2007, his colleagues noted in a tribute written by Roger Crockett, professor of German, that many of W&L’s “successful German majors started their careers with the Dickens Breakfast Club. The A-hour Dickens section of Elementary German began officially at 7:55 a.m., right at the conclusion of the 7 a.m. office hour. Stragglers who arrived at 8 a.m. found their classmates already hard at work. It was not an environment for fraternity revelers, especially on Thursday morning when there was reliably a quiz, but it was a locus amoenus for the serious language learner.”

Dickens published “Negative Spring: Crisis Imagery in the Works of Brentano, Lenau, Rilke, and T.S. Eliot,” as well as numerous articles and translations of German short stories, poems and articles.

In the ’70s, as Spring Term became part of the curriculum, he created one of W&L’s first total-immersion language programs using contacts throughout southern Germany, especially at the University of Bayreuth. Dickens was also W&L’s resident vexillologist and was instrumental in helping W&L when the university began displaying flags to honor international graduates in 1995, lending many from his personal collection. Flag Day was celebrated in style at the Dickens residence (a.k.a. the Blue House), which hosted numerous students over the years and where only German was spoken.

In Lexington, Dickens was a founding member of the Friends and Relatives of Gilbert and Sullivan, on the board of directors for the Rockbridge Concert-Theater Series, a member of the Lexington Flower Committee and served on the advisory board for the Lexington City Schools Gifted and Talented Program. He also designed the official cachet for the first-day cover of the 20¢ George C. Marshall stamp for the George C. Marshall Research Library and Museum. He enjoyed carpentry, reading, philately, cooking, traveling and creating block-cut Christmas cards.

Read the full obit at go.wlu.edu/dickens_obit.

Norwood A. McDaniel ’51, of Punta Gorda, Florida, died on Sept. 29, 2017. He was an insurance broker, businessman and philanthropist.

James H. Patten IV ’51, of Birmingham, Alabama, died on Oct. 9, 2108. He served in the Navy and worked for J.C. Bradford & Co. He was uncle to Ed Christian ’91 and belonged to Beta Theta Pi. Irving M. Shlesinger ’51, of Atlanta, died on Nov. 22, 2018. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He was senior executive and co-owner of Dittler Brothers. He belonged to Zeta Beta Tau.

Eugene M. Anderson Jr. ’52, ’54L, of Davidson, North Carolina, died on Jan. 16. He served in the Air Force and retired from Barclays Bank. He belonged to Pi Kappa Phi. Richard Q. Calvelli ’52, of Vero Beach, Florida, died on May 16, 2018. He belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha.

Otis W. Howe Jr. ’52, of Little Rock, Arkansas, died on Jan. 3. He owned Howe Insurance. He was brother to Jim Howe ’56 and belonged to Sigma Chi. Robert C. Louthian Jr. ’52L, of Ashburn, Virginia, died on March 5, 2017.

Charles H. Tyldsley ’53, of San Francisco, died on

May 15, 2017. He served in the Navy and belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha.

to Gary Pouch III ’78. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Stuart J. Bracken ’54, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, died on Sept. 9, 2018. He served in the Army. He worked for Merrill Lynch.

He was father to Geoffrey Bracken ’84L and great-uncle to John Warner III ’20. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Charles F. Gambill ’54, of Batavia, Illinois, died on Jan. 16, 2018. He served in the Army and founded Gambill Development Corp. He belonged to Phi Kappa Sigma.

Ralph R. Burchenal ’54, of Glendale, Ohio, died on Sept. 10, 2018. He served in the Army, was executive vice president of the Central Trust Bank and owned First Mason Bank.

He was father to James Burchenal ’83 and uncle

William R. Carrington Jones ’54, of Memphis, Tennessee, died on Jan. 13. He worked in real estate at Carrington Jones Co. and belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Henry C. Murfey Jr. ’54, of Plantation, Florida, died on Oct. 8, 2018. He served in the Army and was a financial consultant.

Richard H. Sherrill ’54, of Pensacola, Florida, died on Jan. 17, 2018. He served in the Navy. He founded Sherrill Realty and Sherrill Appraisal Co. He was brother to Charlie Sherrill ’60 and uncle to Charlie Sherrill Jr. ’84, Phil Sherrill ’90 and Richard Sherrill ’94. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Donald E. West ’54, of Burlington, North Carolina, died on Jan. 5. He served in the Army and worked for New York Telephone, AT&T and American Bell International. He belonged to Delta Upsilon.

Thomas E. Lohrey Jr. ’55, ’57L, of Port Ludlow, Washington, died on Feb. 11, 2018. He belonged to Delta Tau Delta.

Dr. Charles E. Dobbs ’56, of Louisville, Kentucky, died on Dec. 16, 2018. He served in the Navy. He practiced medicine for 38 years in Louisville. He belonged to Phi Kappa Psi. Col. Carl P. Flanagan Jr. ’56, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died on Sept. 14, 2018. He served in the Army and worked in the Cumberland County tax office. He was father to Carl Flanagan III ’75 and belonged to Delta Tau Delta.

Philip D. Monger ’56, of Miami, Florida, died on July 31, 2017. He belonged to Delta Upsilon.

Jeb J. Rosebrook ’57, of Scottsdale, Arizona, died on Aug. 31, 2018. He was a screenwriter and novelist.

He belonged to Delta Upsilon.

Thomas L. Gates ’58, of Midlothian, Virginia, died on Sept. 23, 2018. He worked as a systems engineer and in management for IBM, Control Data and the American Horticulture Society. He belonged to Delta Upsilon.

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Gary D. McPherson ’58, of Morgantown, West Virginia, died on Dec. 5, 2018. He was head coach of the VMI basketball team and an assistant coach for at West Virginia University. He later worked for the Mountaineer Athletic Club. He belonged to Phi Kappa Psi. Frederick H. Tarr III ’58, of Rockport, Massachusetts, died on Sept. 25, 2018. He served in the Army and belonged to Pi Kappa Phi. Richard F. Cummins ’59, of Nashville, Tennessee, died on Jan. 5. He served in the Army. He was president of the Cumberland Oil Co. and Cumberland Terminals and general partner of Fenner-Spelman. He was father to Elizabeth Cummins ’89 and Richard Cummins Jr. ’95 and grandfather to Fenner Pollock ’22. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Peter P. Griffin ’59L, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, died on Nov. 16, 2018. He served in the Army. He was in private practice.

1960s Albin T. Chalk II ’60, of Silver City, New Mexico, died on March 12, 2018. He belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha.

H. Gerald Shields ’60, of Newport News, Virginia, died on Oct. 16, 2018. He was owner of Saraville Bed and Breakfast in Alma, Michigan, and had taught at and directed many schools in the U.S. and abroad.

Aubrey B. Calvin ’62, of Houston, died on Jan 22.

He served in the Air Force.

He worked in various Houston law firms before founding his own firm.

Dr. Robert P. Carroll Jr. ’62, of Nacogdoches, Texas, died on Dec. 24,

MARIO PELLICCIARO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CLASSICS EMERITUS Mario Nicholas Pellicciaro, associate professor of classics emeritus, died on Nov. 8, 2018. He was 89.

Pellicciaro joined the W&L faculty in 1966 and retired in 1999. “As a teacher, he was one who left a deep impression on a select few of the studentry,” said Lash LaRue ’59, W&L professor of law emeritus, on the occasion of Pellicciaro’s retirement. “There are not many students who wander into Greek, and the intense intellectualism and rigorous theorizing that he brought to the subject was not what many of those expected, or wanted, in an introductory language course, since he never drilled them on the forms but instead gave them the deep theory that generated the forms. He taught them to think seriously about thinking. And he taught them how to tell when it was important to know whether a Greek verb was in the middle voice of the optative mood, instead of the passive voice of the subjunctive mood; he taught them to know how major issues of Platonic scholarship could turn on such a nuance.”

Pellicciaro taught ancient Greek, Greek and Latin literature in translation, structural linguistics, Greek art, philosophy and Italian. For many years he organized and conducted the university’s travel study program in Greece. He served as a member of W&L’s Glasgow Endowment Committee and on the editorial board of the university’s literary magazine, Shenandoah.

He and his wife, Barbara, were founding members of the Lime Kiln Arts board of directors. He was responsible for the calligraphy design and spelling of the names of ancient Greek artists for his friend Cy Twombly ’53’s ceiling design in the Salle des Bronzes, Louvre, Paris. His love for classics included continually translating text in one of the eight different languages he could read. He was always improving translations of text: biblical, classical, old English, French. His love for all things Italian included cooking Italian as his mother taught him, and this was almost always for a large group of his friends and students. He was always willing to teach friends and students a cooking secret or skill.

Read the full obit at go.wlu.edu/Pellicciaro _obit.

2018. He served in the Army. He was a family physician. He was cousin to Robert Kell ’64.

Daniel F. Chitwood Jr. ’62, of Louisville, Kentucky, died on Nov. 7, 2017. He served in the Army. He was a developer and an accountant with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. He belonged to Sigma Nu. Benjamin P. Michel ’62, ’64L, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, died on Jan. 2. He served in the Army.

He was a senior partner at the law firm Riker Danzig. He belonged to Delta Upsilon.

Richard T. Mosby ’62, of Lynchburg, Virginia, died on March 30, 2018. He worked for Coleman Adams. He was brother-inlaw to Starke Mundy III ’68L and belonged to

44 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

John K. McClung Jr. ’63, of Rockbridge Baths, Virginia, died on Sept. 14, 2018. He worked for a nonprofit agency and was a real estate agent. He was brother to Bill McClung ’66, ’69L. James L. McKenna Jr. ’63, of Webster, Texas, died on Jan. 26. He taught at San Jacinto Community College and belonged to Lambda Chi Alpha.

Arthur H. Portnoy ’63, of Middlebury, Connecticut, died on May 22, 2018. He belonged to Zeta Beta Tau. Augustus B. Walton Jr. ’64, of Little Rock, Arkansas, died on Dec. 27, 2018. He served in the Marines. He was president of World Wide Travel and of The Arkansas Travel

Agents Assoc. He was father to Cynthia Walton Frazier ’90 and Layton Walton Prochazka ’93. He belonged to Phi Delta Theta.

Thomas A. Baither ’65, of Toledo, Ohio, died on Dec. 20, 2018. He served in the Army. He was a partner in Touchtone Wealth Partners with UBS Financial Services. He was brotherin-law to John Walbridge ’55 and belonged to Phi Delta Theta.

Col. Robert R. Baldwin ’66L, of Randolph, New Jersey, died on Jan. 11, 2018. He served in the Army. He was a tax attorney with Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. The Rev. Lance A.B. Gifford ’66, of Baltimore, Maryland, died on Nov. 20, 2018. He was an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of

Maryland and rector of St. John’s Mt. Washington.

A. Thomas Brisendine Jr. ’68L, of Woodbridge, Virginia, died on March 7, 2015. He served in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He was a director at Deloitte & Touche. He was father to Scott Brisendine ’90.

James D. Settle ’68, of Forest, Virginia, died on Nov. 12, 2018. He served in the Army and retired from the United Way of America.

Theodore J. Duncan III ’69, of Houston, died on Dec. 31, 2018. He served in the Navy. He was a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. He belonged to Sigma Chi. David H. Stovall Jr. ’69, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died on Aug. 23, 2018. He was CEO of Stein Mart. He

was father to Courtney Stovall Gentzel ’99 and Nathan Stovall ’03. He belonged to Pi Kappa Alpha.

Paul N. Wojcik ’69, of McLean, Virginia, died on Oct. 24, 2018. He was chair and CEO of Bloomberg BNA Inc.

1970s Clifford H. Jones ’71, of Leland, North Carolina, died on Nov. 7, 2018.

Richard W. Regan ’71, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, died on Sept. 24, 2018. He worked in banking in Atlanta and Denver. He belonged to Delta Upsilon.

Dr. Michael W. McCall ’72, of Louisville, Kentucky, died on Oct. 29, 2018. He was a clinical professor at the University of Louisville, where he founded the Mohs Micrographic Surgery Fellowship. He belonged to Phi Gamma Delta.

Roy L. Rike ’73, of Brunswick, Maine, died on Oct. 19, 2018. He worked for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Thomas G. Van Amburgh ’73, of Dallas, died on Dec. 15, 2018. He practiced general civil law. He was brother to Steve Van Amburgh ’75 and Mike Van Amburgh ’80. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Paul R. Holland III ’74, of Herndon, Virginia, died on Nov. 3, 2018. He served in the Army. He worked for BDM, Logicon and Northrop Grumman as a government contractor.

He belonged to Phi Kappa Psi. Douglas V. McNeel ’74,’78L, of Helotes, Texas, died on Oct. 5, 2018. He was a partner in Barton, East and Caldwell law firm.

TOM WILLIAMS, EDWIN A. MORRIS PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS EMERITUS

1980s Kelly M. Hollins ’80, of Decatur, Georgia, died on Jan. 28, 2018. He was an independent stock investor.

Matthew B. Dennen ’82, of Garden City, New York, died on Oct. 3, 2018. He belonged to Sigma Nu. Thomas C. Havens ’85L, of Port Washington, New York, died on Aug. 27, 2018. He was a partner in the law firm of Loeb & Loeb. He was brother to Karen Havens Leone ’90L.

1990s Thomas I. Hayes III ’90, of Atlanta, died on Nov. 17, 2018. He was an investment banker and private wealth manager.

He belonged to Pi Kappa Alpha.

Giles G. Perkins ’92L, of Birmingham, Alabama, died on Dec. 2, 2018. He was an attorney and former Alabama Democratic Party executive director. He was husband to Hillery Head Perkins ’92L, brother to Drew Perkins Jr. ’84 and brother-in-law to Ellen Green Perkins ’90.

Retirees and Other Friends Boyd Horne Jr., former custodian in the Athletics Department, died on Dec. 11, 2018. He was 75. Boyd joined W&L in 1988 and retired in 2007.

John E. Stuckey, former director of University Computing (now ITS), died Nov. 3, 2018. He was 76.

Stuckey joined W&L in 1991. During his 15-year career at W&L he was instrumental in moving the university into the digital age and oversaw the installation and expansion

Harry Thomas “Tom” Williams Jr., Edwin A. Morris Professor of Physics Emeritus, died Feb. 1, 2019. He was 77.

Williams joined the W&L faculty in 1974 and retired from W&L in 2011.

As well as teaching intro to physics, he also taught quantum mechanics, his favorite class. “It is the last class physics majors take and the one they are least likely to understand,” he said. “It’s tough to sell a bill of goods that no one understands.” His research interests included quantum information theory and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics involving both analytical approaches and computer simulations to address system behavior in one and more dimensions.

“Tom Williams loved physics,” said Ron Reese, professor of physics emeritus. “He was the benevolent, humble and soft-spoken lion of the department. An eloquent lecturer and extemporaneous speaker, Tom could find the kernel of any topic and wax eloquently (and briefly!) about it. We’ve lost a great and wonderful colleague. I can hear him now chatting with the Almighty, smiling and saying, ‘So that’s how quantum mechanics and general relativity are compatible. Elegant!’ ” Williams twice served as head of the Physics Department, as well as associate dean of the College from 1986-89, as acting dean from 2002-03, and as provost from 2003-07 before returning to teaching. During his time in Washington Hall, Williams oversaw the now thriving Campus Kitchen project, as well as the Science, Society and the Arts conference. He also helped secure the $33 million Lenfest endowment to supplement faculty salaries.

He published more than 30 articles on atomic and particle physics, many co-authored with colleagues in the physics and mathematics departments and with W&L students. In 2016, he published “Discrete Quantum Mechanics.”

Irina Mazilu, professor of physics, said, “If you wanted to learn about the soul of W&L, you took a leisurely walk around campus with Tom. Past the Leyburn and Science libraries, he would have told you about how proud he was of the expansive book collections, his love of literature and writing, about Jorge Luis Borges and Flannery O’Connor. And if you wanted to hear Tom brag, you would have come to Howe (and Why) Hall. He would have enthusiastically told you about his wonderful colleagues — ‘good, smart people’ — and their accomplishments, and his great students. And if you were lucky, maybe you would have caught a glimpse of Tom in front of the white board, writing his beloved equations in happy shades of red and green. To use the physicist Richard Feynman’s words, ‘the pleasure of finding things out’ was at the very core of Tom’s life.”

Read the full obit at go.wlu.edu/Williams_obit. of the central servers and systems offering data file storage, administrative applications and campus networking, linking PCs to each other, to printers and to the rapidly expanding internet.

This issue contains notices about deaths that we received before our deadline, which is about three months before an issue lands in your mailbox.

Questions?

Please email us at magazine@wlu.edu.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 45

JOHN W. POYNOR ’62 John Poynor ’62, of Birmingham, Alabama, died Oct. 6, 2018. As a student, Poynor was a member of Phi Kappa Psi and the Concert Guild and worked on the Calyx and Ring-tum Phi. He attended the University of Alabama School of Medicine, served in the Air Force for two years then practiced at St. Vincent’s Hospital for 47 years.

He was a dedicated volunteer for W&L, serving as a reunion class committee member, a board member of the George Washington Society, director of the Alumni Board and president of the Birmingham Alumni chapter. In 2017, W&L awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award.

JOHN MCGUIRE ’53 John D. Maguire ’53, a colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., an original Freedom Rider and former president of SUNY Old Westbury and Claremont Graduate University, died Oct. 26, 2018. He was 86.

Maguire graduated from W&L with a degree in philosophy. He was a Fulbright fellow in Scotland and a Fulbright scholar at the University of Tübingen in Germany. He went on to complete both his bachelor of divinity and doctorate in theology and psychiatry from Yale Divinity School. In 2009, he received the Fulbright Achievement Medal from Edinburgh University, Scotland.

Throughout his life, Maguire spearheaded ground-breaking initiatives on race and democracy and sought to combat institutionalized racism and find solutions to race-based disparities in education, healthcare, economic development and criminal justice.

As well as serving in numerous leadership positions in professional and civic organizations, Maguire was a board member of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. and was founding member of the King Center for Social Change. He was also a charter trustee for Keck Institute. He received honorary degrees from Transylvania University in 1990 and W&L in 1979.

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JOHN OTHO MARSH JR., FORMER SECRETARY OF THE ARMY John Otho Marsh Jr., a member of the School of Law Class of 1951 who served as Secretary of the Army in the 1980s, died on Feb. 4 at an assisted living facility in Raphine, Virginia. He was 92.

A native of Harrisonburg, Virginia, Marsh enlisted in the Army out of high school and served as a lieutenant with American occupation forces in postwar Germany.

He entered W&L as an undergraduate in September 1947 with transfer credits from Madison College (now James Madison University). He took undergraduate classes through 1947-1948, including the summer and fall of 1948. In the spring of 1949, he was admitted to the School of Law as a second-year, or intermediate, student. He completed the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and graduated in August 1959.

While at W&L, Marsh was active in numerous campus activities. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi, served on the Assimilation Committee, ran track and cross country, and was a member of the Cotillion Club and Fancy Dress.

After being admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1952, Marsh practiced law in Strasburg, serving as town judge. From 1954 to 1962, he was the town attorney in New Market. Marsh won election to the U.S. House of Representative as a Democrat from Virginia (1963-71). While serving as in the House in 1966, he volunteered for a month-long stint in the Vietnam War as part of his National Guard duty without ever telling his fellow soldiers that he was a congressman.

In 1973, Marsh was appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense and, in January 1974, as National Security Advisor for Vice President Gerald Ford. He was considered one of Ford’s top aides. Among other duties, Ford appointed Marsh to an investigative committee that studied CIA abuses, including illegal domestic spying.

Marsh switched political parties in about 1980 and served two terms as Secretary of the Army under Reagan, which made him what the Washington Post described as “the longest-serving civilian administrative leader in modern times.”

Marsh helped deploy Pershing II missiles to Western Europe, increased the Army’s budget, and was credited with maintaining several crucial elements that were instrumental in the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

From 1989 to 1994, Marsh served as chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board and was also chairman and interim CEO of Novavax, a pharmaceutical company.

In 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates appointed Marsh and former Secretary of the Army Togo West to an independent review panel to investigate medical and leadership failures at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

He was six times the recipient of the Department of Defense Public Service Award. He also earned the Presidential Citizens Medal and was decorated by the governments of France and Brazil. Other honors include Virginian of the Year (as awarded by the Virginia Press Association), the George Catlett Marshall Medal for Public Service, and the Harry F. Byrd Jr. Public Service Award. The National Guard Armory in Strasburg also was named in his honor.

Marsh will be interred in the Hall of Valor in New Market.

Alumni Events Who did we roll out the red carpet for? The Five-Stars were in town for their festival, as well as honorary ODK initiates and guests for Black Alumni Weekend.

1. Unrelenting rain pushed most of the Five-Star festivities indoors, including the traditional group shot, taken this time in Lee Chapel. But there was plenty to do indoors, with remarks by President Will Dudley, a panel discussion on the mid-term elections and a lecture by David Cox, author of “Lee Chapel at 150.”

Enjoying each other’s company are (l. to r.) Dave Noble ’58, Bill Towler ’58 and Uncas McThenia ’58, ’63L, professor of law emeritus.

2. W&L tapped six ODK honorary initiates during the 2019 Founders Day celebration.

The leadership organization presented the James G. Leyburn Award to Srimayi “Tinni” B. Sen, associate professor of economics at VMI. Front row, l. to r. Tinni Sen, Mohamed Kamara, associate professor of French and head of the Africana Studies Program. Second row, l. to r.: William C. “Bill” Shelton ’76, former director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development in Chesterfield, Virginia; Alfonzo M. “Bucky” Miller Jr., retired deputy chief of the Lexington Police Department; Mark H. Eastham ’84, head of school at Stuart Hall School, in Staunton; and Lex O. McMillan III ’72, president emeritus of Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. Back row: Brant J. Hellwig, professor of law and dean of the School of Law. Read the full story at go.wlu.edu/2019ODK. 3. Highlights from Black Alumni Weekend included the keynote address by Dean Lena Hill, an update from MaKayla Lorick ’19 on her oral history project, “Pathway to Diversity: Uncovering Our Collections,” and the Black Ball in Evans Dining Hall.

Here’s a group shot of attendees from the Saturday morning session and later that day dining at Hotchkiss House.

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MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 47

You’ve Got Mail

BY LOUISE UFFELMAN

A

s a youngster, Bill Fitzgerald ’56 was an avid stamp collector. He vividly remembers a stamp that changed his life — the 1949 first-day cover celebrating the university’s 200 birthday.

“I’d never heard of W&L,” said Fitzgerald, who grew up in Towanda, Pennsylvania. It was “the image of the Front Lawn and Colonnade that appealed to me.”

Most people from his hometown went to college nearby, either Mansfield State College or Penn State. He decided to venture further afield. “In those days,” he said, “the trip to Lexington took me a day and a half.”

48 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE

Life on campus was great, until he failed French 102. “I received a letter from the Selective Service Agency, so I straightened up my act fast,” he said. He majored in history and spent two years in the Army before spending his career in financial planning.

Over the years, Fitzgerald has kept in touch with members of the W&L community. He has corresponded with Ollie Crenshaw, Class of 1925, ’26, author of “General Lee’s College,” and with Bill Latture ’49 and his father, Rupert Latture (Class of 1915, ’16), a member of the administration and founder of ODK. He also wrote to Robert Mish ’76 and Jim Farrar ’74 (when they worked in the

Alumni Office) about inducting Secretariat and his owner Christopher Cherney, Class of 1909, into W&L’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Another longterm pen pal has been Bob Paxton ’54. Letters he especially cherishes are the ones congratulating his son, Lt. Col. Bill Fitzgerald IV ’91, on receiving the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan.

In 2015, Fitzgerald decided to send his treasured 1949 first-day cover to Tom Camden ’76, head of Special Collections. “Washington and Lee is ‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose,’ ” he said.

Looks like some of that French stuck with him.

Support the Annual Fund An Invaluable Community of People

BY KATHRYN MCEVOY ’20

W&L HAS SURROUNDED ME WITH AN invaluable community of people, and I have formed the most important and influential relationships of my life here.

From the professor who held office hours at Macado’s every Thursday to the friends who woke up at 3 a.m. to cheer for me at my first half marathon, I am constantly aware of the incredible investment that each member of this community makes in each other.

By pushing me to think harder in the classroom, supporting my pursuit of leadership, and becoming my best friends and mentors, the people on this campus have shaped me into a better student, leader and person.

As I near the end of my time at W&L, I become more and more aware of how many people have contributed to my experience here — friends who became family, professors who always had an open door, parents who supported my journey and alumni who shaped this school into the place I now call home. Whichever category you fall into, I am so grateful that you were a part of my experience.

I would not have been able to find my place at W&L without your support of the Annual Fund. That is why I feel compelled to give back to the school so that many others after me can have the same opportunities that I did.

Thank you.

MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 49

Need help making your gift in a way that works best for you? Contact the Annual Giving Office at 540.458.8420.

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W&L Magazine 204 W. Washington St. Lexington, VA 24450-2116 www.wlu.edu

SCENE ON CAMPUS

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1. Laura Calhoun ’20 is tapped into ODK. 2. Actor Julian Sands teaches a master class to a group of theater students in the Johnson Theatre.

3. Marisa Charley, assistant director of the Shepherd Program, teaches class outside on a beautiful fall afternoon.

4. Ben Fleenor ’19 reads a book on the Front Lawn.

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5. David Harbor, professor of geology, works with Katherine Cheng ’19 to find ENV capstone data in the Center for Global Learning.

6 Over Feb Break, Lindsey Hewitt ‘21 (left) and Darcy Olmstead ‘21 (center) performed fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy on historical textiles at Winterthur Museum.